Animals

The Secret Life Of the Sonoran Desert

9:26am March 30, 2013

The Sonoran Desert, which spans some 100,000 square miles in southwestern North America, is one of the most diverse desert ecosystems in the world. Host Ira Flatow and guests discuss some lesser known desert creatures, and explore the secret life of that American southwest icon, the saguaro cactus.

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A rescued manatee suffering from exposure to an algae bloom called red tide in southwest Florida comes up for air as it swims into a critical care tank at Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo.

National

Algae Bloom Kills Record Number Of Florida Manatees

6:38pm March 28, 2013

by Ashley Lopez

More than 200 manatees have died in Florida's waterways this year from an algae bloom called red tide. The deaths come as wildlife officials try to remove the marine mammal — whose biggest killer is usually boat propellers — from the endangered species list.

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Workers clear honey from dead beehives at a bee farm east of Merced, Calif.

Are Agriculture's Most Popular Insecticides Killing Our Bees?

10:42am March 28, 2013

by Dan Charles

Neonicotinoids are pesticides widely used to coat the seeds of agricultural plants, especially corn. But some evidence suggests these chemicals may also be poisoning bees. A tell-tale clue: reports of massive bee die-offs that all took place during corn-planting season.

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Science

Project Seeks To Bring Extinct Species Back

1:47pm March 22, 2013

Although the gastric brooding frog became extinct in the mid-1980s, the genome of that Australian amphibian species is alive again thanks to modern biotech techniques. Michael Archer, leader of the 'Lazarus Project,' describes early efforts to resurrect extinct species.

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Broadway Understudy Is Less Than 'Purrfect'

9:23am March 21, 2013

The Broadway show Breakfast at Tiffany's opened Wednesday in New York, but it was curtains for one understudy. The black-and-white feline apparently refused to follow stage directions.

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Saber-toothed cats went extinct after the ice age; paleontologists are not sure what caused their extinction. This cat was brought to life by a puppeteer: It's a creation of Jim Henson's Creature Shop. Body puppet, George C. Page Museum at the La Brea Tar

Science
Arts

It's Called 'De-Extinction' — It's Like 'Jurassic Park,' Except It's Real

9:30am March 19, 2013

by Claire O'Neill

Science writer Carl Zimmer says we're not going to bring back dinosaurs. But we might be able to resurrect other extinct species.

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Researchers wanted to know if Japanese quail were aware of the colors and patterns on their eggs.

Science

Quick Brown Fox Can't Find Camouflaged Quail Eggs

1:57am March 13, 2013

by Véronique LaCapra

The tiny, speckled eggs of Japanese quail should be easy targets for hungry predators. But these quail have a survival advantage — each goes out of her way, research suggests, to choose a nesting location that best matches the particular color pattern of her eggs.

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'Frankenstein's Cat': Bioengineering The Animals Of The Future

1:52pm March 11, 2013

Science journalist Emily Anthes talks about how scientists are engineering mice with tumors and working to create pigs that can grow organs for human transplant and insects that could serve as drones for the military.

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A promo image depicting a bee at a coffee flower.

If Caffeine Can Boost The Memory Of Bees, Can It Help Us, Too?

6:13pm March 07, 2013

by Allison Aubrey

Feeding on flowers with caffeinated nectars gives bees a memory boost, new research shows. Turns out, other studies have found humans can get a similar boost in short-term memory with caffeine — if they're exhausted.

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Arthritic Rabbit Benefits From Hydrotherapy

7:14am March 07, 2013

Heidi is a 15 pound continental giant rabbit in Britain that suffers from arthritis. Twice a week, she's strapped into a little orange life vest and paddles in a heated pool.

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