Animals
- Animals
Getting creative to cut methane from cows
Changing feed, giving vaccines and selective breeding may enable scientists to help beef and dairy cattle shake their title as one of society's worst methane producers.
By Laura Beil - Animals
Ponds and their toads cured of dreaded disease
Treating both tadpoles and their ponds for infection by deadly Bd chytrid fungus lets midwife toads go wild again.
By Susan Milius - Animals
Hungry elephants turn trunks into leaf blowers
Darwin once observed an elephant using its trunk to blow an object closer. Japanese zoo elephants use the behavior to obtain food, a new study reports.
- Life
‘Racing Extinction’ documents plight of endangered species
The new documentary "Racing Extinction" offers hope that people can halt the sixth mass extinction.
- Animals
Tortoises provide a window into the illegal wildlife trade
Tens of thousands of Indian star tortoises are poached every year, a new study finds.
- Archaeology
Honeybees sweetened early farmers’ lives
Residue on pottery pegs ancient farmers as devotees of honeybee products.
By Bruce Bower - Animals
Windy days mean smaller meals for little penguin chicks
Wind speed appears to affect how much food little penguins can bring home for their chicks.
- Anthropology
Ancient hominids used wooden spears to fend off big cats
Saber-toothed cat remains suggest ancient hominids used wooden spears as defensive weapons.
By Bruce Bower - Animals
Big cats hunt livestock when wild prey is scarce
Lions, tigers and other big cats tend to hunt livestock only after their wild prey has dropped in availability, a new study shows.
- Climate
Kangaroo farts may not be so eco-friendly after all
Kangaroos fart methane, but not much thanks to the metabolism of gut microbes
- Animals
Color of light sets dung beetles straight
Dung beetles may rely on green and ultraviolet colors in the sky to help orient themselves.
By Susan Milius - Animals
Diagram captures microbes’ influence across animal kingdom
A network diagram of animal species shows that many microbes living in humans also make themselves at home in dogs, pigs and cattle.
By Meghan Rosen