Animals
- Animals
Sponges boom thanks to Antarctic ice shelf bust
Previously thought to grow at a slow pace, the sea creatures exploded in number.
- Animals
Hawkmoths squeak their genitals at threatening bats
Sounds of an approaching predator inspire ultrasonic rasping in insect prey.
By Susan Milius - Animals
Highlights from the Evolution 2013 meeting
Selections from the meeting include a natural fish experiment, terrapins' light displays and why a variety of eye colors persist in people, presented June 21-25 in Snowbird, Utah.
By Susan Milius - Animals
Gut microbes may put barrier between species
Wiping out gut bacteria in wasps saves crossbred offspring from death, suggesting that microbes may play a role in speciation.
By Susan Milius - Animals
Honeybees use right antennae to tell friend from foe
Asymmetry in sense of smell alters insects' behavior in lab tests.
- Animals
Cicadas’ odd life cycle poses evolutionary conundrums
Scientists are getting an idea about the odd family tree of periodical cicadas, how the insects synchronize their life cycles and why they breed side-by-side with others unsuitable for mating.
By Susan Milius - Animals
Lemurs’ group size predicts social intelligence
Primates that live with many others know not to steal food when someone is watching.
- Animals
Elephant diets changed millions of years before their teeth
The animals fed on grasses long before their molars could grind the tough plants.
By Erin Wayman - Animals
In dark fishing spiders, males’ postmating nap is permanent
Species prepares for two pairings but goes into a fatal coma after a single encounter.
By Susan Milius - Animals
Oysters may struggle to build shells as carbon dioxide rises
Ocean acidification could hamper larvae's growth.
By Erin Wayman - Animals
Butterflies’ tidy drinking tricks
The long tube of the insects' mouthparts is fluid friendly only at the tip.
By Susan Milius - Animals
In the Eye of the Tiger
Global spread of Asian tiger mosquito could fuel outbreaks of tropical disease in temperate regions.