Animals

Ecologists found signs of Ebola in a Rousettus leschenaultii fruit bat. These bats are widespread across south Asia, from India to China.

Where Could Ebola Strike Next? Scientists Hunt Virus In Asia

12:45pm January 03, 2015

by Michaeleen Doucleff

A handful of ecologists knew for years that West Africa was at risk for an Ebola outbreak. Now they're figuring out where else in the world the virus could be hiding. Many signs point to Asia.

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Science

Orca Calf Shows Signs Of Whale Midwifery

11:59am January 03, 2015

by Eric Westervelt

A whale researcher has a new hypothesis about orca whales: Whale "midwives" may be assisting births.

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Laurie McCannon, director of the Northeast Animal Shelter in Salem, Mass., with a dog named Trina. Three-quarters of the dogs adopted from the shelter in 2013 were from out of state.

National

With Rescue Dogs In Demand, More Shelters Look Far Afield For Fido

10:37am January 02, 2015

by Greg Allen

In many parts of the country, demand for adoptive pets outstrips the supply of healthy dogs. Many shelters and rescue groups now import dogs from other states — and even other countries.

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World News

High-Tech Tools Help Irish Dairy Farmers Produce More Milk

7:57am January 02, 2015

by Ari Shapiro

In deepest rural Ireland, traditional farmers are developing advanced technology in the name of more milk from happier cows. An old-fashioned dairy has embraced wearable technology for cows.

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The newly described L. larvaepartus (male, left, and female) from Indonesia's island of Sulawesi. Odd, sure, but at least they don't use their stomachs as breeding chambers, as some other frogs do.

These Froggies Went A Courtin' And Gave Birth To Live Tadpoles

10:34pm January 01, 2015

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Who needs eggs? Scientists have discovered an unusual frog species that gives birth to live tadpoles.

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Science

Do Fish Have Fingers?

2:15pm December 29, 2014

by Joe Palca

Of course they don't, but they do have the genetic machinery to make fingers — something that shows how similar fish are to modern mammals.

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Recent research has shown that zebra finches sing differently when drunk, but not whether they know enough of the lyrics to get through "I Will Survive" or "Don't Stop Believin'."

Science

Scientists Discover That Drunk Birds Sing Like Drunks

1:18pm December 29, 2014

by Christopher Dean Hopkins

The songs of zebra finches, long used as a model for how humans learn to use speech, get a little sloppy after a few drinks, a new study finds. Future research will look at how it affects learning.

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Exercising Penguins Are A Hit With Tourists In Japan

9:11am December 29, 2014

A zoo in Japan takes its penguins on a 30-minute waddle twice a day during the winter to keep them from getting too chubby. Visitors line the route and snap pictures of the penguins.

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World News

Argentinian Orangutan May Be Free To Enjoy Some Privacy

11:07am December 28, 2014

Sandra, a shy Orangutan in Argentina, has been granted some legal rights that will allow her some freedom. NPR's Linda Wertheimer tells us more.

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By the 1960s, humpback whales and other whale species had been hunted extensively, sometimes to the point of near extinction. Then a recording of humpback whale songs helped shift public opinion on the hunting of all whale species.

Recordings That Made Waves: The Songs That Saved The Whales

6:22pm December 26, 2014

by Michael May

In the mid-1960s, a biologist discovered the beauty of humpback whale songs. But his recordings weren't just academic — they were woven into popular music, and they kicked off an entire movement.

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