ScienceDaily: Earth & Climate News

A surprising study on the behavior of unrelated lizards in very different parts of the world has demonstrated how evolution can lead to different species learning the same skills. The study documents how the Anolis lizard species in the Caribbean, and the Draco lizard species in Southeast Asia, have solved the challenge of communicating with one another to defend territories and attract mates.

Downstream of hydroelectric dams and Alberta's oil sands, one of the world's largest freshwater deltas is drying out. New research suggests long-term drying is making it harder for muskrats to recover from massive die-offs. It's a sign of threats to come for many other species.

Hot vents in the deep sea are home to microbes that feed on ethane. Now researchers have succeeded in finding an important component in the microbial conversion of the gas. They were able to decode the structure of the enzyme responsible for the ethane fixation.