Animals
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AnimalsA 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 -
AnimalsMonkey in the mirror
Monkeys with implanted head devices use mirrors to inspect themselves, perhaps signaling self-awareness.
By Bruce Bower -
EcosystemsClimate’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 -
LifeNew titi monkey, at last
Travel risks in parts of Colombia had kept primatologists out for decades.
By Susan Milius -
LifeAphids, abandon ship
Warm, humid mammal breath drives the insects to jump off plants.
By Susan Milius -
LifeBullied booby chicks end up OK
In a seabird nest, abuse by older siblings doesn’t hamper fitness.
By Susan Milius -
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AnimalsFearless 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 -
LifeHaving 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 -
AnimalsClimate 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 -
LifeForget 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 -
AnimalsSex, crickets and videotape
Security cameras focused on insects in the wild are looking at whether lab science has gotten the singing, mating and fighting right.
By Susan Milius