Animals
- Animals
Southern birds may be moving into your winter backyard
A warming climate is letting warm-adapted birds live farther north in winter, a new study finds.
- Paleontology
Mystery fossils belonged to giant ostrichlike dinosaur
Two recently found skeletons reveal that Deinocheirus, first discovered 50 years ago, was the largest-known dinosaur of its kind.
- Genetics
Camels’ number of humps may affect their fat storage
The number of humps camels and alpacas have may play a role in how well they store and break down fat.
- Animals
Camouflaged fish found hiding in plain sight
Rockpool gobies change color depending on their background.
- Animals
Hearing awful or great singing changes birds’ choice
A male bird’s serenade inspires reactions that depend on the quality of songs a female has been listening to.
- Animals
French flamingos froze to death without freezing
Cold snaps in 1985 and 2012 starved flamingos by the thousands in southern France.
- Paleontology
Extinct giant kangaroos tiptoed one leg at a time
Stiff spines, flared hips and other fossil clues suggest extinct, refrigerator-sized kangaroos stepped one hind leg at a time instead of hopping.
- Animals
A stressful youth makes for a devoted finch dad
Stress is generally thought to be a bad thing. But a new study shows that under certain conditions, a stressful childhood could make a zebra finch a better father.
- Genetics
House fly’s genome hints at detox genes
The house fly's DNA instructions include extra genes that may help detoxify and decompose animal waste.
- Animals
Quick-moving toads take the straight and narrow path
Cane toads at the front line of an invasion in Australia have evolved to move in straighter paths than those left behind.
- Animals
Rattlesnakes tutor robot on dune climbing
Snakes sidewinding up sand inspire design improvements for robots navigating treacherous slopes.
- Animals
Zebra finches use camouflage
In an experiment, zebra finches camouflaged their nests to match the background, even though they lived in captivity and there was no danger of predators.
