One of the as-yet nameless birds, completely new to science (Photo copyright Vítor Q Piacentini)

Popular opinion holds that the Amazon is practically bursting at the seams with undiscovered mammals, birds, and plants. But rarely do researchers actually uncover a number of species all in one go. Sometimes they do strike it lucky, though. Recently, researchers listed 15 new bird species—the largest number discovered in the Americas since 40 were described 140 years ago, back in 1871. The culmination of their work will be the inclusion of the 15 species in a book, called Handbook of Birds of the World, to be released later this year.

If your food packaging contains the chemical BPA, the label will have to say so if a newly proposed bill is passed.

Photo: Ian Westcott/Flickr

UPDATE: We've narrowed down the entries to these three.

Every week we post a funny animal photo that’s begging for a caption. Join in the fun! You’ve got til 11:59 pm (Eastern time) on Sunday to enter your suggestion (click “Read more” below). On Monday we’ll choose our three favorite captions and list them under the image.

Ochre sea stars, Pisaster ochraceus. (Photo by D. Gordon E. Robertson via Wikimedia Commons)

When temperatures heat up, we strip off our sweaters. But sea stars remove their arms. The finding, published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, provides some important insights into how Pacific coastal ecosystems might be affected by climate change. 

A forest after clearcutting. (Photo by Dave Powell, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org via Forestry Images)

Coal stacks spewing thick black smog may be the emblem of pollution, but an overlooked source of carbon emissions is pouring from the soil when forests are chopped for timber, according to a new report by Dartmouth University researchers. 

A loggerhead with a Crittercam attached. Photo credit: Tomoko Narazaki (Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo)

“Never let a balloon go,” many teachers tell children. “They can end up in the ocean where sea turtles might mistake them for jellyfish and eat them.” It’s true. And now teachers will have video proof to show how something that looks like a jellyfish, but tastes like trash, can wind up in a turtle’s insides.

The gray wolf, at the center of a debate about its status (Photo by USFWSmidwest / CC BY 2.0)

The gray wolf was nearly wiped out 40 years ago, when it was listed as an endangered species. Now, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed delisting the predator, an action that would lift federal protections on gray wolves across the country, leaving the states to manage them. 

A northern gannet (By Liam Quinn via Wikimedia Commons)

Few who have seen a northern gannet aggressively plunge headfirst into the ocean after a shoal of fish would think there is anything polite about this bird’s eating habits. But it turns out that gannets, large ivory-hued seabirds with heads the color of a toasted marshmallow and pike-like beaks, don’t hone in on neighboring colonies’ territories when they are out hunting, according to a paper published today in Science. What’s more, the study’s authors believe that gannets aren’t alone in acting this way.

Photo: Vincent van Dam/Flickr

UPDATE: We've narrowed down the entries to these three. Vote for your favorite!

Every week we post a funny animal photo that’s begging for a caption, like this shot of Muscovy ducks (click through for more on these curious creatures). Join in the fun! You’ve got til 11:59 pm (Eastern time) on Sunday to enter your suggestion (click “Read more” below). On Monday we’ll choose our three favorite captions and list them under the image.

The superb lyrebird of southern Australia—renowned for its remarkable imitative abilities—is once again being lauded for its performance skills. This time, it’s not the bird’s incredible songs but rather its dance moves that are of note. A study published today in Current Biology shows that males of these large, forest-dwelling birds perform choreographed dance steps that match specific songs from their extensive repertoire. The male’s dance is part of a display to convince the ladies that he’s good mating material.