Life

Neuroscience

Tiny treadmills show how fruit flies walk

A method to force fruit flies to move shows the insects’ stepping behavior and holds clues to other animals’ brains and movement.

Animals

Hibernating bumblebee queens have a superpower: Surviving for days underwater

After some bumblebee queens were accidentally submerged in water and survived, researchers found them to be surprisingly tolerant of flooding.

Science & Society

In ‘Get the Picture,’ science helps explore the meaning of art

Journalist Bianca Bosker infiltrates the secretive art world to understand the science and psychology of why art matters to the human experience.

Animals

This newfound longhorn beetle species is unusually fluffy

Discovered in Australia, the beetle is covered in whitish hairs and has distinctive eye lobes, antennae and leg shapes.

Animals

50 years ago, scientists wondered how birds find their way home

In the 1970s, lab tests hinted that birds can navigate using magnetic fields. New studies suggest that beak and eye proteins are behind the ability.

Math

Scientists find a naturally occurring molecule that forms a fractal

The protein assembles itself into a repeating triangle pattern. The fractal seems to be an accident of evolution, scientists say.

Animals

In a first, these crab spiders appear to collaborate, creating camouflage

Scientists found a pair of mating crab spiders blending in with a flower. The report may be the first known case of cooperative camouflage in spiders.

Life

This marine alga is the first known eukaryote to pull nitrogen from air

An alga’s bacterial symbiote has evolved into an organelle that turns atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia, making the alga unique among eukaryotes.

Ecosystems

Flowers may be big antennas for bees’ electrical signals

The finding suggests a way for plants to share information about nearby pollinators and communicate when to trigger nectar production.

Animals

Eavesdropping on fish could help us keep better tabs on underwater worlds

Scientists are on a quest to log all the sounds of fish communication. The result could lead to better monitoring of ecosystems and fish behavior.

Life

During a total solar eclipse, some colors really pop. Here’s why

As a solar eclipse approaches totality and our eyes adjust to dimming light, our color vision changes. It’s called the Purkinje effect.

Genetics

Here’s why some pigeons do backflips

Meet the scientist homing in on the genes involved in making parlor roller pigeons do backward somersaults.