Notebook
- Animals
Beetles have been mooching off insect colonies for millions of years
The behavior, called social parasitism, has been going on for about 100 million years.
- Earth
50 years ago, continental drift began to gain acceptance
Half a century later, plate tectonics is well-established but still an active field of research.
- Paleontology
Early dinosaur relative sported odd mix of bird, crocodile-like traits
Teleocrater rhadinus gives researchers a better picture of what early dinosaur relatives looked like.
- Earth
‘River piracy’ on a high glacier lets one waterway rob another
The melting of one of Canada’s largest glaciers has rerouted meltwater from one stream into another in an instance of river piracy.
- Ecosystems
Hawk moths convert nectar into antioxidants
Hawk moths use their sugary diet to make antioxidants that protect their muscles.
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- Earth
Whirlwinds of crystals called gravel devils spotted in Andes Mountains
Large whirlwinds in northern Chile can carry gravel-sized gypsum crystals several kilometers before dumping them in mounds.
- Health & Medicine
50 years ago, contraception options focused on women
Women have more birth control choices than they did 50 years ago. The same can’t be said for men.
- Materials Science
Bone-inspired steel cracks less under pressure
Steel that’s structured like bone resists cracks better that the traditional form of the heavy-duty building material.
- Animals
First fluorescent frogs might see each others’ glow
A polka dot frog, the first known fluorescent amphibian, may get a visibility boost in twilight and moonlight.
- Paleontology
New tyrannosaur had a sensitive side
Tyrannosaurs may have had sensitive snouts that detected temperature and touch.
- Astronomy
Asteroid in Jupiter’s orbit goes its own way
Asteroid shares Jupiter’s orbit around the sun but travels in the opposite direction as the planet.
