New webspinner insect species discovered in PHL More from: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/475934/scitech/science/new-webspinner-insect-species-discovered-in-phl

A new species of webspinner insect was recently discovered in the Philippines by researchers from the University of the Philippines - Los Baños, hinting that webspinners may not be as rare in the country as previously thought. According to a study by Cristian Lucanas and Dr. Ireneo Lit, Jr., published in the Philippine Journal of Systematic Biology, there might actually be three species in the country. Webspinners are insects from the Embioptera order of insects. Found largely in the tropics, they’re small and reclusive. They build nests and tunnels using silk produced from glands in their forelegs, spending almost all their time hidden and eating plant matter. Scientists previously thought that only two Embioptera species existed in the Philippines, only one of which is endemic to the country. However, the UPLB researchers have found that, based on their study, that there might actually be three species that live in the Philippines: Aposthonia borneensis (Hagen), Oligotoma saundersii (Westwood), and Oligotoma sp. aff. humbertiana (Saussure). All three species fall under the Oligotomidae family. Hagen webspinner specimens were found in Los Baños and Pagsanjan, Laguna. Saussure webspinners were also found in Pagsanjan and also in Polillo Island, Quezon while specimens of Westwood webspinners were found in Mt. Makiling, Laguna and Abra. While the geographic range of Embioptera is greater than previously thought, they’re still vulnerable to pollution—specimens found in urban areas were in relatively less polluted locations. — TJD, GMA News More from: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/475934/scitech/science/new-webspinner-insect-species-discovered-in-phl

New macaque species discovered in Tibet

Photos of white-cheeked macaques. (Internet photo)

Chinese experts claim to have discovered a new species of macaque and now the race is on to protect it.

The new monkey species–found in southeast Tibet's Modog county–has been named the white-cheeked macaque.

Although the discovery was only published last month on the website of American Journal of Primatology, experts say it is already feeling the stress of human encroachment and activities.

Chinese wildlife photographer Li Cheng first identified the new species after he heard its call in the woods in 2012.

"It was a high-pitched 'Yi-ou'–I had never heard such a call from a macaque before," Li recalls. However, the group of around 10 macaques vanished into the woods before he could make them out.

In October 2013, Li joined a field survey of wild species in Tibet. He set 31 cameras in the primeval forest in Modog. Motion sensors triggered the cameras to take three images and a 15-second video each time they detected movement.

Half a year later, he had 738 photos and more than 100 videos of the "special macaques" of Modog.

In December 2014, Fan Pengfei, an associate professor of primate studies in Dali University, and Zhao Chao, a researcher at Southwest Forestry University, both claimed to have seen the "special macaques" in Modog.READ MORE-http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20150425000014&cid=1104

The frog with an underwater SEX DUNGEON: Amphibian that likes to mate in privacy and hide its eggs discovered

Frogs that build underground ‘sex nests’ to mate with their partner have been found by a team of researchers. The intriguing males build these secret chambers to avoid predators. The discovery was made by researchers in the Atlantic forest of Serra do Japi in the State of São Paulo, Brazil.The new species of torrent frog, reported by New Scientist, is called Hylodes japi. The amphibian, part of the Hylodes lateristrigatus group, is characterised by light stripes on its size, while it is also relatively small, according to the researchers.And when it comes to mating, this family of frogs has a unique trait not seen in other frogs. They typically like to live near fast streams and, if a pair decides to mate, they will spend five minutes searching for a private spot. ‘The male quickly carves out a chamber by excavating the sand around small rocks at the bottom of the stream,’ said Agata Blaszczak-Boxe from New Scientist. ‘Then, like Christian Grey from Fifty Shades he invites his mate into his sex dungeon, which is only just big enough to fit the two amorous amphibians.READ MORE-http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3053692/The-frog-underwater-SEX-DUNGEON-Amphibian-likes-mate-privacy-hide-eggs-discovevered.htmlg

Caribbean super-rat history extracted from DNA

Scientists have pieced together the evolutionary history of a fascinating group of extinct Caribbean rats, some of which grew to the size of cats. The so-called rice rats were lost from the Lesser Antilles - the likes of St Kitts and Grenada - over 100 years ago. They were driven to oblivion by the activities of European settlers. But now, UK researchers' DNA studies have worked out when the rodents first arrived in the islands, and how they radiated across the region. Selina Brace, Sam Turvey and others report their work in Proceedings B, a journal of the Royal Society. It was a tough job. Only a few examples of these rats are still held in museum collections, and the DNA material recovered from archaeological specimens tends to have degraded in the tropical heat. Nonetheless, the team was able to find sufficient samples to map out the rodents' history. Surprising diversity The investigations show these creatures probably first arrived in the eastern Caribbean about six million years ago, in the late Miocene.READ MORE-http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-32412191

Mammoth genome sequence completed

The new genome study has been published in the journal Current Biology. Dr Love Dalén, at the Swedish Museum of Natural History in Stockholm, told BBC News that the first ever publication of the full DNA sequence of the mammoth could help those trying to bring the creature back to life. It seems to me that trying this out might lead to suffering for female elephants and that would not be ethically justifiable Love Dalén, Swedish Museum of Natural History "It would be a lot of fun (in principle) to see a living mammoth, to see how it behaves and how it moves," he said. But he would rather his research was not used to this end. "It seems to me that trying this out might lead to suffering for female elephants and that would not be ethically justifiable." Dr Dalén and the international group of researchers he is collaborating with are not attempting to resurrect the mammoth. But the Long Now Foundation, an organisation based in San Francisco, claims that it is. Now, with the publication of the complete mammoth genome, it could be a step closer to achieving its aim. On its website, the foundation says its ultimate goal is "to produce new mammoths that are capable of repopulating the vast tracts of tundra and boreal forest in Eurasia and North America. "The goal is not to make perfect copies of extinct woolly mammoths, but to focus on the mammoth adaptations needed for Asian elephants to live in the cold climate of the tundra.READ MORE-http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-32432693

Mosquitoes 'lured by body odour genes'

The likelihood of being bitten by mosquitoes could be down to genes that control our body odour, a preliminary study in Plos One suggests. Researchers tested pairs of identical and non-identical twins to see how attractive they were to mosquitoes. Identical twins were more likely to have similar levels of attractiveness - suggesting shared genetic factors were at play. The "intriguing" results must now be assessed in larger trials, experts say. Researchers have long tried to understand what drives mosquitoes to bite certain people more than others. Recent work shows the insects may be lured to their victims by body odour. And anecdotal reports suggest some relatives are just as likely to be bitten as each other. Scientists from the UK and US wanted to find out whether genes were behind this phenomenon. To test their theory they enlisted 19 non-identical and 18 identical pairs of twins in a pilot study.READ MORE-http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-32411671

Podcast: Bone worms, vampire bats, and plaque-fighting nanoparticles

Did bone worms feast on ancient marine reptiles? What surprise have scientists found about the diet of vampire bats? And could plaque-busting nanoparticles save you a trip to the dentist? Science's Online News Editor David Grimm chats about these stories and more withScience's Susanne Bard. Plus, Evan MacLean discusses the role of oxytocin in mediating the relationship between dogs and people.

Posted in Scientific Community podcast-FOLLOW LINK TO PODCAST-http://news.sciencemag.org/scientific-community/2015/04/podcast-bone-worms-vampire-bats-and-plaque-fighting-nanoparticles