Life
-
Animals
Textbook case of color-changing spider reopened
Female crab spiders switch colors to match flowers but may not fool their prey
By Susan Milius -
Animals
Scent of alarm identifies male bed bugs
When mistaken for females, the guys release an alarming pheromone.
By Susan Milius -
Life
Birds’ eyes, not beaks, sense magnetic fields
A new study pinpoints migratory songbirds’ magnetic compass in a specific brain region.
-
Life
Three dino types may be just three dino ages
Study suggests three dinos placed in separate taxa are actually from one group at different growth stages
-
Life
Spiders love sweet smell of blood perfume
For on spider species, feeding on blood-gorged mosquitoes adds charm to a mate
By Susan Milius -
Earth
Unicorn fly of the Cretaceous
An ancient fly discovered trapped in amber sports a horn atop its head and topped with three eyes.
-
Life
African genetic diversity
Researchers are just beginning to explore the genetic landscape of the cradle of humanity
-
Humans
A gene critical for speech
Scientists argue a newly discovered stretch of DNA essential for larynx development may have allowed the evolution of language.
-
Life
Humpback whale alters song if another one sings along
Acoustical study of male songs shows first evidence of the whales responding musically to each other.
By Susan Milius -
Animals
Ancient giant beavers did not chow on trees
The now-extinct animals had a hippo-like diet
By Sid Perkins -
Life
Estrogen helps ward off belly fat
Hormone is one reason that men and women carry weight differently
-
Life
Fossil find sparks debate on primate origins
A 37-million-year-old jaw suggests the famous fossil Darwinius does not, as had been suggested, fill a gap in human evolution.
By Bruce Bower