My picks from ScienceDaily

Raising The Alarm About Chimpanzee Massacre In The Democratic Republic Of Congo:

Poachers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) threaten the existence of the largest remaining continuous population of chimpanzees in the world. This conclusion is drawn by Cleve Hicks, based on observations made during his 2007-2008 survey of towns, villages and forests in the Buta-Aketi region of the country.

Australia's Most Endangered Snake Might Need More Bush Burning:

Conserving Australia's most endangered snake might mean lighting more bush fires, ecologists have proposed. The last remaining populations of broad-headed snakes are being threatened by encroaching woodland that is destroying their habitat, a study by scientists from the University of Sydney and Stanford University (USA) has shown.

Spiders, Frogs And Gecko Among Exciting Discoveries Found In Papua New Guinea:

Jumping spiders, a tiny chirping frog and an elegant striped gecko are among more than 50 species believed new to science discovered during a Conservation International (CI) Rapid Assessment Program (RAP) expedition to Papua New Guinea's highlands wilderness.

Bad News For Insomniacs: 'Hunger Hormones' Affected By Poor Sleep:

Insomnia has long been associated with poor health, including weight gain and even obesity. Now researchers at UCLA have found out why.

Social Skills, Extracurricular Activities In High School Pay Off Later In Life:

It turns out that being voted "Most likely to succeed" in high school might actually be a good predictor of one's financial and educational success later in life.

What Separates Humans From Mice? Bigger, Faster Astrocytes In Brain:

A type of brain cell that was long overlooked by researchers embodies one of very few ways in which the human brain differs fundamentally from that of a mouse or rat, according to researchers who published their findings as the cover story in the March 11 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.

When It Comes To Intelligence, Size Matters:

A collaborative study led by researchers at the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI), McGill University has demonstrated a positive link between cognitive ability and cortical thickness in the brains of healthy 6 to 18 year olds. The correlation is evident in regions that integrate information from different parts of the brain.

New Species Of Spiders Discovered In Papua New Guinea:

A University of British Columbia researcher has discovered dozens of species of jumping spiders that are new to science, giving scientists a peek into a section of the evolutionary tree previously thought to be sparse.

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tags: new species, Papua New Guinea, Zoology, Biodiversity A large brilliant green tree frog, Nyctimystes species, with enormous eyes, was discovered by scientists next to a clear-running mountain river. Image: Steve Richards/Conservation International. A brilliant green tree tree frog with…
Is this a living missing link? Scientists in the Congo have found a band of primates that seem to engage in some very sophisticated hunts. The Guardian reports: Deep in the Congolese jungle is a band of apes that, according to local legend, kill lions, catch fish and even howl at the moon. Local…
tags: New Guinea, Papua, deforestation, satellite analysis, biodiversity, field research, endangered species Before and After: Forest area near Milne Bay in 1990 (top) and 2005 (bottom). Image University of Papua New Guinea. I have been fascinated by New Guinea ever since I first read about this…
Ebola has surfaced again. After a hiatus of over a year without any new identified outbreaks, the virus has reemerged in western Africa, in the first-ever multi-country outbreak of the Zaire strain of Ebola. As of this writing, there have been 122 suspected cases of the disease in Guinea (24…