Animals
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Health & Medicine
Bad kitty: Cat bites can cause nasty infections
Three in 10 patients seeking treatment for hand bites were hospitalized, study finds.
By Nathan Seppa -
Animals
Embryos in eggs move to get comfy
Even before hatching, Chinese alligators, snapping turtles and some relatives can shift toward favorable temperatures.
By Susan Milius -
Earth
Ammonite jaws provide a window into ancient climate
Temperature of marine environment can be determined from cephalopod fossils.
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Paleontology
Rivers of rock and gas froze ancient animals in time
Ancient Chinese fossil beds were preserved by high-speed rivers of volcanic rock and gas.
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Animals
Cane toads can handle the cool
The invasive amphibians may be able to spread farther across Australia than previously thought.
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Animals
Fungi threaten sea turtle nests
The pathogens can kill up to 90 percent of eggs in a single nest.
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Animals
Disco clams put on a streak show
Scuba divers call Ctenoides ales the disco or electric clam because the restless, curling lips of its mantle flash bright streaks.
By Susan Milius -
Animals
Synchronous birth
For young banded mongoose moms, there’s only one choice for when to give birth — the same day as older, dominant mothers. In communities of these cat-sized animals, all females give birth together, no matter when they became pregnant.
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Animals
When snakes fly
A gliding snake gets some lift by spreading its ribs, but much about its flight remains a mystery.
By Susan Milius -
Plants
Sexually deceived flies not hopelessly dumb
Pollinators tricked into mating with a plant become harder to fool a second time.
By Susan Milius -
Animals
Windows may kill up to 988 million birds a year in the United States
Single-family homes and low-rise buildings do much more damage than skyscrapers.
By Susan Milius -
Animals
Gray seals snack on harbor porpoises
Photo evidence confirms seals' fatal attacks on harbor porpoises in the English Channel, suggesting that declines in the seals' usual fare are forcing the animals to seek out other high-energy food.