Animals
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Life
Some songbirds now migrate east to west. Climate change may play a role
In recent decades, more Richard's pipits are wintering in Europe than before. It may signal the establishment of a totally new migration route.
By Jake Buehler -
Neuroscience
Brainless sponges contain early echoes of a nervous system
Simple sponges contain cells that appear to send signals to digestive chambers, a communication system that offer hints about how brains evolved.
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Animals
Baleen whales eat (and poop) a lot more than we realized
The sheer volume of food that some whales eat and then excrete suggests the animals shape ecosystems to a much larger degree than previously thought.
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Life
Gene-edited stem cells help geckos regrow more perfect tails
Regenerated gecko tails are a far cry from perfect. Now experiments have coaxed geckos to regrow better ones with nerve tissue and bonelike cartilage.
By Freda Kreier -
Math
An elusive equation describing bird eggs of all shapes has been found at last
A new mathematical equation describes bird eggs of all shapes found in nature, and it could have applications in food and agricultural research.
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Animals
Assassin bugs tap spiders to distract them before a lethal strike
Some assassin bugs stroke their antennae on spiders when within striking distance, possibly imitating touches that spiders experience near their kin.
By Jake Buehler -
Humans
Ancient human visitors complicate the Falkland Islands wolf’s origin story
Scientists have debated how the Falkland Islands’ only land mammal journeyed to the region: by a long-ago land bridge or with people.
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Animals
Flamingos dye their sun-faded feathers to stay pretty in pink
During mating season, flamingos rub a makeup-like rouge on their necks to catch the eye of the opposite sex. They don’t bother once chicks are born.
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Animals
Jumping spiders’ remarkable senses capture a world beyond our perception
Clever experiments and new technology are taking scientists deep into the lives of jumping spiders, and opening a portal to their experience of the world.
By Betsy Mason -
Animals
Tuskless elephants became common as an evolutionary response to poachers
After poachers tore through a Mozambican elephant population, tuskless females tripled in number as humans altered the species’s evolutionary trajectory.
By Jake Buehler -
Animals
Scientists found modern domestic horses’ homeland in southwestern Russia
Two genes tied to endurance and docility may help explain the horses’ success in spreading across Eurasia.
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Animals
An agile gecko found in India named after the legendary Jackie Chan
A hard-to-catch gecko species is named after martial artist Jackie Chan. Skin patterns, like one resembling a galaxy, inspire other newfound geckos’ names.