Biology News

Andaman-Nicobar and Lakshadweep Islands are India's first hope spots, as announced by International Union for Conservation of Nature. Hope spot is area of ocean that merits special protection for its wildlife and underwater habitats. "Presence of some of world's unique species of birds and plants in Andaman-Nicobar and the sensitive coral-reefs in Lakshadweep have earned them this title" -said scientists.

A new study, published in the journal 'Geology', shows that acid rain and ozone depletion caused the extinction of over 90% marine species and 70% terrestrial species 250 million years ago. Gases released during contemporaneous volcanic eruptions in Siberia resulted in ecology-damaging pH fluctuations and UV radiations. These combined with global warming led to the earth's worst known species die-off.

As per one of the world's leading geneticists, Dr Eugene McCarthy (University of Georgia), human species began as the hybrid offspring of a male pig and a female chimpanzee. He points out that though humans have many features in common with chimps, there are a lot more that don't correspond to any other primates, but to pigs only.