Life

Animals

Part donkey, part wild ass, the kunga is the oldest known hybrid bred by humans

Syria’s 4,500-year-old kungas were donkey-wild ass hybrids, genetic analysis reveals, so the earliest known example of humans crossing animal species.

Animals

The largest group of nesting fish ever found lives beneath Antarctic ice

Researchers stumbled upon a fish breeding colony of unprecedented size, spanning a territory slightly larger than Baltimore.

Animals

Female dolphins have a clitoris much like humans’

The similarities suggest female dolphins experience sexual pleasure, which may explain why the species is so randy all the time.

Animals

Here’s what goldfish driving ‘cars’ tell us about navigation

When measuring intelligence, the saying goes, don’t judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree. But what about its ability to drive a vehicle?

Paleontology

See stunning fossils of insects, fish and plants from an ancient Australian forest

Thousands of fossils at an Australian site show a rare glimpse into the continent’s wetter history over 11 million years ago.

Microbes

Drug-resistant bacteria evolved on hedgehogs long before the use of antibiotics

A standoff between bacteria and antibiotic-producing fungi living on hedgehogs may have led to the rise of one type of MRSA some 200 years ago.

Neuroscience

‘Feeling & Knowing’ explores the origin and evolution of consciousness

In the book Feeling & Knowing, neuroscientist Antonio Damasio suggests that consciousness evolved as a way to keep essential bodily systems steady.

Animals

Here’s how spider geckos survive on Earth’s hottest landscape

An analysis of the stomach contents of Misonne’s spider geckos shows there are more critters in the heart of Iran’s Lut Desert than meets the eye.

Life

Here are our favorite cool, funny and bizarre science stories of 2021

These are some of the fun science stories from this year that we couldn’t wait to talk about with friends.

Space

These discoveries from 2021, if true, could shake up science

Discoveries in 2021, from hidden subatomic particles to the oldest animal fossils, could shake up science. But more evidence is needed to confirm them.

Animals

A 1,306-legged millipede is the first to live up to its name

Scientists have discovered the first true millipede, an elongated, threadlike creature with a whopping 1,306 legs.

Animals

Here are 7 incredible things we learned this year that animals can do

From wielding weapons to walking on the underside of water, these are the creature capabilities that most impressed us in 2021.