Animals

  1. Paleontology

    Hyenas roamed the Arctic during the last ice age

    Two teeth confirm the idea that hyenas crossed the Bering land bridge into North America, a study finds.

    By
  2. Astronomy

    Readers boggled by black hole behemoth

    Readers had questions about the first image of a black hole and a chytrid fungus.

    By
  3. Animals

    Bats are the main cause of rare rabies deaths in the U.S.

    In the United States, bats are mostly to blame for rabies deaths, while rabies transmitted by overseas dogs comes in second.

    By
  4. Animals

    Worms lure two new species of hopping rats out of obscurity

    In the Philippines, scientists have identified two new species of shrew-rat, an animal whose limited habitat plays host to remarkable biodiversity.

    By
  5. Oceans

    Tiny plastic debris is accumulating far beneath the ocean surface

    Floating trash patches scratch only the surface of the ocean microplastic pollution problem.

    By
  6. Animals

    Tiny structures in dragonfish teeth turn them into invisible daggers

    The teeth of deep-sea dragonfish are transparent because of nanoscale crystals and rods that let light pass through without being scattered.

    By
  7. Paleontology

    Fossils reveal saber-toothed cats may have pierced rivals’ skulls

    Two Smilodon fossil skulls from Argentina have puncture holes likely left by the teeth of rival cats.

    By
  8. Astronomy

    Questions about solar storms, slingshot spiders and more reader feedback

    Readers had questions about solar storms, a robotic gripper, slingshot spiders and more.

    By
  9. Animals

    A 50-million-year-old fossil captures a swimming school of fish

    Analysis of a fossilized fish shoal suggests that animals may have evolved coordinated group movement around 50 million years ago.

    By
  10. Animals

    Shy fish no bigger than a pinkie provide much of the food in coral reefs

    More than half of the fish flesh that predators in coral reefs eat comes from tiny, hard-to-spot species.

    By
  11. Animals

    Tiger sharks feast on migratory birds that fall out of the sky

    Terrestrial birds that fall from the sky during their migration across the Gulf of Mexico can end up in the bellies of tiger sharks.

    By
  12. Animals

    Bad moods could be contagious among ravens

    Ravens may pick up and share their compatriots’ negativity, a study on the social intelligence of these animals suggests.

    By