Earthworms pip humans, dinos in Most Successful 100 Species On Earth table

October 13th, 2009 Scientist: Dinos trampled after death by own kindSALT LAKE CITY — Paleontologists say analysis of a vast collection of broken dinosaur bones unearthed in southeast Utah indicates they were trampled by other dinosaurs shortly after they died. Brigham Young University scientists have spent years analyzing more than 4,000 bones from a quarry just west of Arches National Park.

October 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - Anthropologists took the wraps off the oldest known human ancestor Thursday - a 4.4-million-year-old Ethiopian skeleton named Ardi, which challenges many long-held assumptions about how humans and apes evolved. "It's not a chimp.

August 20th, 2009 WASHINGTON - NASA-funded research has found that humans not might be walking on Earth today if not for the ancient fusing of two microscopic, single-celled organisms called prokaryotes 2.5 billion years ago, which reveals a new pathway for the evolution of life on Earth. By comparing proteins present in more than 3000 different prokaryotes - a type of single-celled organism without a nucleus - molecular biologist James A.

August 4th, 2009 SYDNEY - Australian scientists have developed new theory about the 'Hobbit' species in the Indonesian island of Flores, that they existed alongside humans. Archaeologists found the 'hobbit' in 2003, while excavating in a cave on the Indonesian island of Flores.

July 20th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a new study, a scientist is analyzing how humans came to develop clothing, and how that innovation might have in turn given our species an evolutionary edge over other hominids. According to a report in Science Alert, the scientist in question is Ian Gilligan, a doctoral researcher from the School of Archaeology and Anthropology at ANU (Australian National University).

July 17th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a new research, scientists at the Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, in Haryana, India, have determined that earthworms could be used to produce compost from the huge volumes of solid sludge produced by the textiles industry. The team of scientists included Vinod Garg, Renuka Gupta and Priya Kaushik of Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology.

July 17th, 2009 HISSAR - Earthworms and some animal manure could convert waste from the textile industry into a rich compost for agriculture, researchers here have found. Most gardeners will tell you earthworm is their best friend as it aerates the soil and helps break down the soil materials, releasing nutrients for improved plant growth.

July 16th, 2009 SYDNEY - The male members of an ancient fish species known as sea dinosaurs impregnated females with penis like organs 380 million years ago, just like modern day sharks. Some fish species engaged in penetrative sex and gave birth to young ones, according to a study conducted by Curtin University of Technology (CUT).

June 30th, 2009 Protection sought again for giant, spitting wormsSPOKANE, Wash. — Fans of the giant Palouse earthworm are once again seeking federal protection for the rare, sweet-smelling species that spits at predators.

June 29th, 2009 SYDNEY - An Australian experiment with native plant seeds has raised hopes for self-sustaining human colonies in space, with the seeds, taken into space last year, showing no signs of "fatigue" or damage after surviving more than 28,000 orbits of the earth. According to a report in The Sydney Morning Herald, the seedlings of the golden wattle, waratah, flannel flower and wollemi pine accompanied NASA astronaut Dr Gregory Chamitoff on his six-month space odyssey.

June 24th, 2009 LONDON - Humans prefer to be addressed in their right ear rather than their left. Current research suggests that we are more likely to perform a task when we receive the request in our right ear.

June 11th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists have discovered an 11.9-million-year-old fossil ape species with an unusually flat, "surprisingly human" face in Spain, a find that could prove to be the "missing link" between early human ancestors and more primitive apes. According to a report in National Geographic News, the species, Anoiapithecus brevirostris, suggests humans' ape ancestors split from primitive apes in Europe, not Africa.

June 2nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - The loss of endangered species sends alarm bells ringing among conservationists, but what happens to the parasites they host? Although most people would side with the panda over the parasite, which group should we worry about more? North Carolina State University (NCSU) biologist Rob Dunn and colleagues examined the concept of co-extinction, the loss of one species upon the extinction of another. "Decline in host species could drive parasite species to switch onto alternative hosts, which could escalate the rate of emerging pathogens and parasites both for humans and our domesticated animals and plants," Dunn said.

June 2nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a new study, scientists have determined that when host species go extinct, their parasites could switch onto alternative hosts which in turn could increase the rate of emerging pathogens for humans, domesticated animals and plants. The study was carried out by North Carolina State University biologist Rob Dunn and colleagues.

May 24th, 2009 LONDON - It's not just humans who have a moral compass, animals too possess a sense of morality which allows them to tell the difference between right and wrong. That's the conclusion of a new book.