WIDE ANGLE: Secret Lives of Animals

A Discovery Earth special feature

Whispering Isotopes!

There's way more than just the distant sound of surf to be gleaned from the discarded parts of animals.
Photo credit: iStockPhotos

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Animals are dropping some huge clues about their secret lives, and scientists are now beginning to expose all the details. The trick is to decode the language of isotopes found in hair, teeth, feathers and other durable parts of animals past and present. The results have been surprising.

Slide Show: Isotope Tattlers
What secrets are revealed by isotopes in the remains of condors, burrowing owls, tree bats, saber-tooth cats and even the hair on your head? Way too many! Find out!

IM Interview: Animal Secret Sleuth
Larry O'Hanlon chats with Kena Fox-Dobbs, who is at the forefront of a new realm of research that's shedding light on everything from how condors survived the end of the ice age to where your neighborhood bats hang out in the off- season.

HowStuffWorks: How Isotopes Are Measured
Get the lowdown on isotopes and what makes them so darned handy for solving all sorts of mysteries. A HowStuffWorks.com exclusive.

News: Elephant Secrets Revealed by Isotopes
Using GPS and isotopes in Kenyan elephnat hairs, scientists have uncovered secret and dangerous new stresses facing the giant beasts. Michael Reilly reports.

Video: Top 5 Science Animal Videos
Animals look great on video - James Williams shows you five reasons why.

Video: Rare Javan Rhino Filmed
Several Javan rhinos, one of the world's rarest large mammals, were filmed recently by remote-sensing cameras in Indonesia. The footage gives new insights about the elusive beast. Jorge Ribas reports.

Dive in deeper at Discovery Earth's global blog: Earth Pub.

MORE WIDE ANGLES.

Other Wide Angles This Week

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The film Angels and Demons, starring Tom Hanks, will hit the big screen on May 15. The plot: terrorists threaten the Vatican with an antimatter bomb. We ask, Is it possible?

Discovery Tech: Cloning
Get an in-depth look at cloning that goes beyond the ethical issues and the pros and cons of cloning animals... and possibly humans.