Animals

  1. Genetics

    A CRISPR gene drive for mice is one step closer to reality

    Researchers have made progress toward creating a gene drive for mice in the lab. Such genetic cut-and-paste machines have yet to be made for mammals.

    By
  2. Animals

    Cryptic remains of tiny animals have turned up in an Antarctic lake

    Researchers were surprised to find vestiges of what appear to be tiny animals in mud from Antarctica’s ice-covered Lake Mercer.

    By
  3. Animals

    This honeybee parasite may be more of a fat stealer than a bloodsucker

    Inventing decoy bee larvae prompts a back-to-basics rethink of a mite ominously named Varroa destructor.

    By
  4. Animals

    This rediscovered Bolivian frog species survived deadly chytrid fungus

    Scientists recently rediscovered a frog species in Bolivia that hasn’t been seen in 10 years — and it could be used to better understand a frog-killing fungus.

    By
  5. Animals

    Bacterial compounds may be as good as DEET at repelling mosquitoes

    A bacterium’s metabolic by-products are as effective as DEET in deterring Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.

    By
  6. Animals

    How worm blobs behave like a liquid and a solid

    Blobs of worms flow like a fluid, plop like a solid and fascinate scientists.

    By
  7. Animals

    Poison toilet paper reveals how termites help rainforests resist drought

    Novel use of poisoned toilet paper rolls and teabags led to discovery that termites help tropical forests resist droughts.

    By
  8. Animals

    50 years ago, scientists studied orcas in the wild for the first time

    The study of killer whales has come a long way since the capture of seven in 1968 allowed scientists to study the animals in their habitat.

    By
  9. Animals

    A protein in mosquito eggshells could be the insects’ Achilles’ heel

    A newly discovered protein found exclusively in mosquitoes may one day help control their numbers.

    By
  10. Animals

    Green darner dragonflies migrate a bit like monarch butterflies

    Some dragonflies do a north-south annual migration that takes at least three generations.

    By
  11. Animals

    Poop provides a link in determining penguin diet from space

    Scientists have figured out what foods dominate an Adélie penguin colony’s diet by looking at Landsat imagery. But to do so, they had to start with penguin guano.

    By
  12. Animals

    Macaques take turns while chattering

    Japanese monkeys take turns while communicating. Adjusting response times while chattering, macaques intentionally pause like humans do when chatting.

    By