Animals
- Animals
The viral Chicago ‘Rat Hole’ almost certainly wasn’t made by a rat
Researchers used methods from paleontology to analyze the quirky local landmark, created when a rodent of a certain size fell into wet concrete.
- Materials Science
New wetsuit designs offer a layer of protection against shark bites
By weaving Kevlar or polyethylene nanofibers into standard neoprene in wetsuits, researchers found ways to limit injury during rare encounters with sharks.
- Animals
Mic’d bats reveal midnight songbird attacks
Sensor data reveal greater noctule bats chasing, catching and chewing on birds during high-altitude, nighttime hunts.
- Animals
Toy-obsessed dogs give clues to addictive behaviors
Some dogs love playing with toys so intensely they can’t stop—offering scientists a window into behavioral addictions.
- Animals
What the longest woolly rhino horn tells us about the beasts’ biology
A nearly 20,000-year-old woolly rhino horn reveals the extinct herbivores lived as long as modern-day rhinos, despite harsher Ice Age conditions.
- Microbes
To make a tasty yogurt, just add ants (and their microbes)
Spiking milk with live ants makes tangy traditional yogurt. Researchers have identified the ants' microbial pals and enzymes that help the process.
- Animals
Meet the ‘grue jay,’ a rare hybrid songbird
Despite millions of years of evolutionary separation and a geographical divide, a blue jay and green jay mated in Texas. This bird is the result.
- Animals
Is camouflage better than warning colors? For insects, it depends
The effectiveness of camouflage or warning colors for insect defense depends on conditions such as light levels and how many predators are around.
- Animals
This ‘ghost shark’ has teeth on its forehead
Spotted ratfish, or “ghost sharks,” have forehead teeth that help them grasp onto mates. It’s the first time teeth have been found outside of a mouth.
- Animals
Bats live with some viruses. But others can do them in
Bats can carry some deadly human pathogens without signs of illness. A new survey shows that other viruses can still be bad for bats.
- Animals
Tug or fetch? Some dogs sort toys by how they are used
Dogs that easily learn the names of toys might also mentally sort them by function, a new example of complex cognitive activity in the canine brain.
- Animals
Octopus arms are adaptable but some are favored for particular jobs
Octopuses are ambidextrous, a new study finds, but they favor their front arms for investigating surroundings and their back arms for locomotion.
