Animals

  1. Animals

    City living shortens great tits’ telomeres

    Great tits raised in urban nests have shorter protective caps on their chromosomes than those raised in rural nests.

    By Helen Thompson
  2. Animals

    City living shortens great tits’ telomeres

    Great tits raised in urban nests have shorter protective caps on their chromosomes than those raised in rural nests.

    By Helen Thompson
  3. Animals

    Lemurs sing in sync — until one tries to go solo

    Indris, a lemur species in Madagascar, sing in synchrony and match rhythm, except for young males trying to stand out.

    By Helen Thompson
  4. Animals

    ‘Kermit Sutra’ gets seventh amphibian mating position

    Bombay night frogs’ unusual mating protocol features indirect sperm transfer and female croaks.

    By Susan Milius
  5. Animals

    ‘Silent Sparks’ illuminates fascinating world of fireflies

    In a new book, a firefly researcher explores why scientists and kids alike are captivated by lightning bugs.

    By Sid Perkins
  6. Animals

    Electric eels play defense with a mighty leap

    A biologist finds evidence that a 200-year-old report of electric eels attacking horses may be true.

    By Sarah Zielinski
  7. Life

    By leaking light, squid hides in plain sight

    Glass squid camouflage their eyes with wonderfully inefficient bioluminescence.

    By Susan Milius
  8. Paleontology

    Human route into Americas traced via trail of bison fossils

    Bread crumbs in the form of ancient bison may mark one potential path that humans took to colonize the Americas.

    By Helen Thompson
  9. Animals

    Maximum size of giant squid remains a mystery

    A scientist has come up with a new estimate of the maximum size of giant squid. He says the animals could be as long as two public buses.

    By Sarah Zielinski
  10. Animals

    Pygmy blue whales deepen their moans

    Sri Lankan pygmy blue whales are tweaking their calls — making one part deeper and keeping another part the same — but scientists can’t say why. The finding injects a new wrinkle in theories about blue whale calls.

    By Meghan Rosen
  11. Genetics

    Ancient DNA tells of two origins for dogs

    Genetic analysis of an ancient Irish mutt reveals complicated history of dog domestication.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  12. Environment

    Tiny plastics cause big problems for perch

    Researchers have linked microplastics to feeding behavior changes and development issues in Baltic Sea perch.

    By Helen Thompson