Animals

Drugs That Work In Mice Often Fail When Tried In People

10:50am April 10, 2017

by Richard Harris

Most potential new drugs don't work when tested in people. It's a major disappointment and it drives up the cost of developing new drugs. One big reason is the use of animals in medical research.

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This is mountain lion kitten known as P-54 found in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. It is the only known kitten from P-23's third litter, according to the National Park Service.

A Mountain Lion Kitten Is Found, Leading To Excitement And Concern

10:16am April 09, 2017

by Nathan Rott

A mountain lion kitten was found in the Santa Monica Mountains, just outside Los Angeles. Biologists are excited to see new kittens being born but are concerned about inbreeding.

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An Army horse wears a gas mask to guard against German gas attacks.

National

The Unsung Equestrian Heroes Of World War I And The Plot To Poison Them

6:28am April 06, 2017

by Sarah McCammon

April 6 marks 100 years since the U.S. entered World War I. Years before, the U.S. supported the effort by sending over thousands of horses — who were so important that Germans plotted to kill them.

Camera trap image of an American badger burying a calf carcass by itself in Utah's Grassy Mountains, January 2016.

VIDEO: Badger Burying A Cow Surprises Scientists

5:26pm April 04, 2017

by Merrit Kennedy

The researchers say it's the first time an American badger has been documented burying an animal larger than itself. It worked for five days and nights to accomplish the unexpected feat.

A white-throated round-eared bat (Tonatia silvicola) catches — and munches — a katydid on Barro Colorado Island in Panama. Katydids are "the potato chips of the rain forest," scientists say.

Sound Matters: Sex And Death In The Rain Forest

5:18pm April 04, 2017

Scientists eavesdropping in trees have decoded a high stakes game of hide and seek. Katydids rely on ultrasound to find mates and listen for bats, which use ultrasound to find the bugs, and eat them.

A great gray looks up after plunging into the snow, while hunting north of Two Harbors, Minn. The great gray is one of the world's largest species of owl.

Some Wildlife Photographers Use Bait, But Is It Worth The Shot?

12:14pm April 03, 2017

by Dan Kraker

Photos of an owl swooping in with wings wide, eyes glowing and talons outstretched might not really be because of chance. Photographers using mice to lure the owls have caused a fierce debate.

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The deceptively adorable fangblenny is only 2 inches long and lives in places like Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

Science

A Tiny Fish With Fearsome Fangs Uses An Opioid-Like Venom To Escape Enemies

6:18pm March 31, 2017

by Madeline K. Sofia

New research shows the 2-inch fangblenny bites bigger fish and releases an opioid-based venom. The larger fish becomes disoriented, and the little guy gets away.

A young manatee swims at a zoo in France in 2017.

National

Manatees Escape The Endangered List — But Maybe Too Soon

5:57pm March 31, 2017

by Colin Dwyer

It seems like quite a win for the marine mammal, which was nearly extinct just a few decades ago. But conservationists say the move could lead to repeal of protections the manatee needs to survive.

The Nisshin Maru, mother ship in the Japanese whaling fleet, returns to port in southwestern Japan on Friday.

Japan's Annual Antarctic Expedition Returns With 333 Whale Carcasses

3:29pm March 31, 2017

by Colin Dwyer

The country's Fisheries Agency says the trip is conducted each year to further ecological research — which is an exception in a worldwide ban on commercial whaling. Others aren't buying the claim.

The zeal with which Bubba pursues a purple ball has won the tortoise fans. Paul Milham's video of the reptile has been seen tens of millions of times.

Bubba The Tortoise Dazzles Millions, Simply By Playing With A Ball

1:26pm March 31, 2017

by Bill Chappell

Bubba became an Internet star after Paul Milham posted a video of his daughter's tortoise scampering after a ball like a determined puppy.