Animals
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GeneticsReaders ponder geothermal power and more
Readers respond to stories from the May 26, 2018 issue of Science News.
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NeuroscienceHow domestication changed rabbits’ brains
The fear centers of the brain were altered as humans tamed rabbits.
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AnimalsHow a squishy clam conquers a rock
Old boring clam research is upended after 82 years.
By Susan Milius -
AnthropologyKoko the gorilla is gone, but she left a legacy
An ape that touched millions imparted some hard lessons about primate research.
By Bruce Bower -
AnimalsEach year painted lady butterflies cross the Sahara — and then go back again
Painted ladies migrate the farthest of any butterfly.
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EcosystemsMadagascar’s predators are probably vulnerable to toxic toads
The Asian common toad, an invasive species in Madagascar, produces a toxin in its skin that’s probably toxic to most of the island’s predators.
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AnimalsLeaf-cutter ants pick up the pace when they sense rain
Leaf-cutter ants struggle to carry wet leaves, so they run to avoid rain.
By Yao-Hua Law -
PaleontologyThese newfound frogs have been trapped in amber for 99 million years
Trapped in amber, 99-million-year-old frog fossils reveal the amphibians lived in a wet, tropical climate.
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AnimalsHere’s what narwhals sound like underwater
Scientists eavesdropped while narwhals clicked and buzzed. The work could help pinpoint how the whales may react to more human noise in the Arctic.
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AnimalsBees join an exclusive crew of animals that get the concept of zero
Honeybees can pass a test of ranking ‘nothing’ as less than one.
By Susan Milius -
AnimalsIn a conservation catch-22, efforts to save quolls might endanger them
After 13 generations isolated from predators, the endangered northern quoll lost its fear of them.
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LifeDogs carry a surprising variety of flu viruses
Dogs in China carry a wider variety of flu viruses than previously thought, and may be capable of passing the flu to humans.