Animals

  1. Animals

    Polar bears sometimes bludgeon walruses to death with stones or ice

    Inuit reports of polar bears using tools to kill walruses were historically dismissed as stories, but new research suggests the behavior does occur.

    By
  2. Life

    Near-invincible tardigrades may see only in black and white

    A genetic analysis suggests that water bears don’t have light-sensing proteins to detect ultraviolet light or color.

    By
  3. Animals

    How some lizards breathe underwater

    Researchers have figured out how some anole lizards can stay underwater for as long as 18 minutes.

    By
  4. Life

    ‘Wild Souls’ explores what we owe animals in a human-dominated world

    The new book Wild Souls explores the ethical dilemmas of saving Earth’s endangered animals.

    By
  5. Animals

    How intricate Venus’s-flower-baskets manipulate the flow of seawater

    Simulations show that a deep-sea glass sponge’s intricate skeleton creates particle-trapping vortices and reduces the stress of rushing water.

    By
  6. Animals

    This butterfly is the first U.S. insect known to go extinct because of people

    A 93-year-old Xerces blue specimen’s DNA shows that the butterfly is a distinct species, making it the first U.S. insect humans drove to extinction.

    By
  7. Life

    Pikas survive winter using a slower metabolism and, at times, yak poop

    Pikas endure bone-chilling temperatures on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau by reducing their metabolism, and when possible, eating yak poop.

    By
  8. Animals

    Climate change may be leading to overcounts of endangered bonobos

    A changing climate in Congo is affecting how scientists count bonobos’ nests, possibly skewing estimates of the great ape population, a study suggests.

    By
  9. Animals

    Would dogs return the favor if you gave them treats? It’s complicated

    An experiment in which dogs did not reciprocate food giving with humans may reveal something about the dogs, or about how science is done.

    By
  10. Animals

    Climate change may rob male dragonfly wings of their dark spots

    Less colorful, cooler wings may be advantageous to dragonflies in a warmer world. But the change could mess with the insects’ mating.

    By
  11. Animals

    Froghoppers are the super-suckers of the animal world

    To feed on plant xylem sap, a nutrient-poor liquid locked away under negative pressure, froghoppers have to suck harder than any known creature.

    By
  12. Animals

    Dogs tune into people in ways even human-raised wolves don’t

    Puppies outpace wolf pups at engaging with humans, even with less exposure to people, supporting the idea that domestication has wired dogs’ brains.

    By