Our fluffy companions may have been with us as pets longer than we thought
Wild rabbits are widely thought to have been first tamed in 600 A.D. by French monks, when they were prized as food as a...
Photosynthesis study delivers surprise result
A new study provides an unexpected twist in the search for more productive crops to help feed a growing population.
Plant scientists thought that they...
Science mission to discover how ‘everyday’ chemicals and plastic are changing the Arctic
Scientists are heading to the Arctic to discover how chemicals and microscopic particles of plastic debris are changing one of the world’s most pristine...
Climate change could cause sudden biodiversity losses worldwide
A warming global climate could cause sudden, potentially catastrophic losses of biodiversity in regions across the globe throughout the 21st century, finds a new...
Prehistoric reptile pregnant with octuplets
Palaeontologists have discovered part of the skeleton of a 180 million-year-old pregnant ichthyosaur with the remains of between six and eight tiny embryos between...
The first ancient herpes genomes to be sequenced suggest that the virus became widespread...
Ancient genomes from the herpes virus that commonly causes lip sores – and currently infects some 3.7 billion people globally – have been sequenced...
The oldest record eclipse happened today more than 3,000 years ago
British Researchers have pinpointed the date of what could be the oldest solar eclipse yet recorded.
The event, which occurred on 30 October 1207 BC, is...
Study finds rapid evolution in foxgloves pollinated by hummingbirds
Common foxgloves taken to the Americas 200 years ago have evolved to change flower length in the presence of a new pollinator group, hummingbirds.
Researchers...
Scientists discover how plants breathe
Botanists have known since the 19th century that leaves have pores – called stomata – and contain an intricate internal network of air channels....
Study reveals extent of human impact on the world’s plant-life
Research has shed new light on the impact of humans on Earth’s biodiversity. The findings suggest that the rate of change in an ecosystem’s...