Animals
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Life
Molecular Evolution
Investigating the genetic books of life reveals new details of 'descent with modification' and the forces driving it.
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Animals
A little climate change goes a long way in the tropics
In hot places, even minor warming could rev up metabolism in animals that don’t generate their own heat, a new analysis suggests.
By Susan Milius -
Animals
Monkey in the mirror
Monkeys with implanted head devices use mirrors to inspect themselves, perhaps signaling self-awareness.
By Bruce Bower -
Ecosystems
Climate’s link to plague
Scientists have correlated changes in long-term Pacific Ocean temperature patterns with the incidence of a deadly bacterial pestilence, one spread by fleas living on and around mice and other rodents.
By Janet Raloff -
Life
New titi monkey, at last
Travel risks in parts of Colombia had kept primatologists out for decades.
By Susan Milius -
Life
Aphids, abandon ship
Warm, humid mammal breath drives the insects to jump off plants.
By Susan Milius -
Life
Bullied booby chicks end up OK
In a seabird nest, abuse by older siblings doesn’t hamper fitness.
By Susan Milius -
Animals
Fearless tadpoles give invaders the edge
Clueless larvae don’t heed the scent of nonnative turtles, giving newcomers an edge over native species, a European study finds.
By Susan Milius -
Life
Having BFFs brings longevity to female baboons
A seven-year study of one African troop finds that females live longer if they form close, lasting friendships.
By Bruce Bower -
Animals
Climate change may favor couch-potato elk
With drought and rising temperatures in Wyoming, migratory animals suffer while stay-at-home members of the same herd thrive
By Susan Milius -
Life
Forget mice, elephants intimidated by ants
Swarms of little nuisances have an outsized effect on who nibbles which trees in the African savanna.
By Susan Milius