Animals

  1. Paleontology

    A deer-sized T. rex ancestor shows how fast tyrannosaurs became giants

    A newly found dinosaur called Moros intrepidus fills a hole in the evolutionary history of tyrannosaurs, helping narrow when the group sized up.

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  2. Animals

    50 years ago, DDT pushed peregrine falcons to the edge of extinction

    In 1969, peregrine falcons were at risk of extinction. But a ban on the pesticide DDT and new captive breeding programs allowed the raptors to recover.

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  3. Animals

    A rare, ancient case of bone cancer has been found in a turtle ancestor

    A 240-million-year-old fossil reveals the oldest known case of bone cancer in an amniote, a group that includes mammals, birds and reptiles.

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  4. Artificial Intelligence

    Readers marvel at AI, space missions and wombat poop

    Readers had comments and questions about defining artificial intelligence, the New Horizons space mission and more.

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  5. Animals

    How black soldier fly larvae can demolish a pizza so fast

    When gorging together, fly larvae create a living fountain that whooshes slowpokes up and away.

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  6. Genetics

    DNA from extinct red wolves lives on in some mysterious Texas coyotes

    Mystery canids on Texas’ Galveston Island carry red wolf DNA, thought to be extinct in the wild for 40 years.

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  7. Animals

    Giant pandas may have only recently switched to eating mostly bamboo

    Giant pandas may have switched to an exclusive bamboo diet some 5,000 years ago, not 2 million years ago as previously thought.

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  8. Animals

    Scientists name 66 species as potential biodiversity threats to EU

    North America’s fox squirrel, the venomous striped eel catfish and 64 other species are now considered invasive in the European Union.

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  9. Health & Medicine

    Readers have questions about Parkinson’s disease, moth wings and more

    Readers had questions about Parkinson’s disease, the new definition of a kilogram’s mass, Saturn’s moon Dione and more.

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  10. Anthropology

    Dogs may have helped ancient Middle Easterners hunt small game

    Jordanian finds point to pooch-aided hunting of small prey around 11,500 years ago, offering new clues into dog domestication in the Middle East.

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  11. Animals

    Male birds’ sexy songs may not advertise their brains after all

    A biologist backs off an idea he studied for years that the mastery of birdsong is a sign of bird smarts.

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  12. Animals

    Young emperor penguins brave icy, winter waters in their first year

    Young emperor penguins learn survival skills on their own, including how to navigate Antarctica’s icy winter ocean.

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