Animals

Neuroscience

Some healthy fish have bacteria in their brains

Animals including mammals usually protect their brains from infiltrating microbes that can cause disease. But some fish seem to do just fine.

Life

Mega El Niños kicked off the world’s worst mass extinction

Long-lasting, widespread heat and weather extremes may have caused the Great Dying extinction event 252 million years ago.

Animals

Bumblebees lose most of their sense of smell after heat waves

A few hours in high temps reduced the ability of antennae to detect flower scents by 80 percent. That could impact the bees’ ability to find food.

Animals

Scientists piece together clues in a shark ‘murder mystery’

A missing porbeagle shark was likely killed by a great white. It’s the first known case of adult porbeagles being hunted by a predator, scientists say.

Animals

Here’s how an arthropod pulls off the world’s fastest backflip

While airborne, globular springtails can reach a spin rate of 368 rotations per second, high-speed camera footage shows.

Animals

In a first, these bats were found to have toes that glow

Hairs on the toes of Mexican free-tailed bats fluoresce under UV light, a new study reports. The function of the toe glow is unknown.

Life

Remote seamounts in the southeast Pacific may be home to 20 new species

A recent expedition to the intersection of two undersea mountain chains has revealed a new seamount and a rich world of deep-sea biodiversity.

Oceans

National Geographic’s ‘OceanXplorers’ dives into the ocean’s mysteries

National Geographic’s documentary series ‘OceanXplorers,’ produced by James Cameron, invites you aboard one of the most advanced research vessels in the world.

Animals

This spider makes its home in the burrows of extinct giant ground sloths

Caves made by extinct giant ground sloths make the perfect home for a newly discovered type of long-spinneret ground spider from Brazil.

Animals

This spider uses trapped fireflies to lure in more prey

Male fireflies trapped in the spider’s web flash femalelike lights, possibly luring in other flying males and allowing the arachnid to stock up on food.

Paleontology

This spiky fossil shows what early mollusks looked like

The fossil, plus 17 others from more than 500 million years ago, reveal that early mollusks were slug-like creatures with prickly armor.

Space

Scientists want to send endangered species’ cells to the moon

Climate change is threatening Earth’s biodiversity banks. It might be time to build a backup on the moon.