Life

  1. Animals

    Built for Blurs: Jellyfish have great eyes that can’t focus

    Eight of a box jellyfish's eyes have superb lenses, but their structure prevents them from focusing sharply.

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  2. Animals

    Alive and Knocking: Glimpses of an ivory-billed legend

    New observations confirm that the famed ivory-billed woodpecker has not gone extinct after all.

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  3. Ecosystems

    Decades of Dinner

    Sunken whale carcasses support unique marine ecosystems that display stages of succession and change, just as land ecosystems do.

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  4. Ecosystems

    Where Tuna Go: Atlantic fish mix for feeding, not spawning

    The largest high-tech tag study yet of Atlantic bluefin tuna suggests that two groups mix on feeding grounds but spawn on opposite sides of the ocean.

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  5. Paleontology

    Early mammal had newfangled fangs

    A tiny mammal that lived in Colorado about 150 million years ago had hollow teeth that lacked enamel, a characteristic that didn't reappear in mammals for another 100 million years.

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  6. Ecosystems

    Ambush Ants: Beware the moldy patch on that branch

    Tiny tropical ants build shaggy platforms on plants and hide underneath them, poised to reach out and capture insects that may be far larger than themselves.

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  7. Animals

    Funny Walks: Cranes bob, bob, bob along when hunting

    The jerky neck motions of a whooping crane may help it spot food by keeping its head motionless about half the time.

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  8. Paleontology

    Egg-Citing Discovery: Dinosaur fossil includes eggshells

    The first-ever find of shelled eggs inside a dinosaur fossil bolsters ideas about the reptiles' reproductive physiology.

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  9. Animals

    Fish Din: Reef clamor attracts young fish settlers

    When looking for a home, young fish seem to prefer a reef that's alive with the sounds of shrimp and fish rather than a quieter environment.

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  10. Animals

    DNA tells pigs’ tale of diverse ancestry

    A genetic study indicates that pigs were domesticated in at least seven different parts of Asia and Europe, not in just two regions, as many researchers had assumed.

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  11. Ecosystems

    Quick Fix: How invasive seaweed repairs its wounds

    Scientists have discerned the chemistry underlying the rapid wound-healing process in an invasive green alga that is wreaking havoc in the Mediterranean Sea.

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  12. Animals

    Why a turkey helps a pal find a mate

    A new study shows how the classic idea of kin selection could explain why male turkeys cruise in pairs, even though only one of them will win a mate.

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