Animals

Animals

This praying mantis inflates a strange pheromone gland to lure mates

Researchers stumbled across a first among mantises: an inflatable organ that spreads pheromones, helping mates find each other in the dark rainforest.

Paleontology

‘Monkeydactyl’ may be the oldest known creature with opposable thumbs

A newly discovered pterosaur that lived during the Jurassic Period could have used its flexible digits to climb trees like a monkey.

Animals

Discarded COVID-19 PPE such as masks can be deadly to wildlife

From entanglements to ingestion, two biologists are documenting the impact of single-use masks and gloves on animals around the world.

Oceans

Corals’ hidden genetic diversity corresponds to distinct lifestyles

Observation and DNA analysis expose identical reef corals as distinct species with unique ecologies, suggesting much greater coral biodiversity.

Animals

How researchers can keep birds safe as U.S. wind farms expand

Tracking bald eagle abundance and migrating whooping cranes provides a clearer picture of where wind turbines could be safely built.

Animals

Tiny crystals give a plain fish twinkling, colorful dots under light

Fishes’ flashing photonic crystals may provide inspiration for ultra-miniaturized sensors that work in a living body.

Life

Yawning helps lions synchronize their groups’ movements

A lion yawn is contagious, and when lions start yawning together, they start moving together. Synchronization may be key for group hunters like lions.

Life

Flamboyant fishes evolved an explosion of color as seas rose and fell

Fluctuations in sea level due to cycling ice ages may have powered an engine in tropical seas that pumped out gaudy fish species.

Animals

Weather radar shows 30 metric tons of grasshoppers swarmed Las Vegas one night

Everything’s glitzier in Las Vegas. The most intensely lit U.S. city shows the impact of artificial light on insects on a megascale.

Animals

Dazzling underwater photos capture new views and scientific detail of fish larvae

Lab specimens of fish larvae are often mangled and bleached. Divers and researchers have partnered to study their rich colors and intricate bodies.

Animals

A toxin behind mysterious eagle die-offs may have finally been found

A 20-year study of water weeds and cyanobacteria in the southern United States pinpoints a bird-killing toxin, and it's not your usual suspect.

Animals

A gene defect may make rabbits do handstands instead of hop

Mutations in a gene typically found throughout the nervous system rob rabbits of their ability to hop. Instead, the animals walk on their front paws.