520 results
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- Animals
In a ‘perfect comeback,’ some birds use antibird spikes to build their nests
The spikes were meant to keep birds away. But five corvid nests in Europe use the bird-deterrents as structural support and to ward off predators.
- Animals
What parrots can teach us about human intelligence
By studying the brains and behaviors of parrots, scientists hope to learn more about how humanlike intelligence evolves.
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Birds with more complex vocal skills are better problem-solvers
Evidence for a relationship between bird vocal learning and cognitive prowess has been mixed. Now, a massive new study confirms they are linked.
- Animals
Cockatoos can tell when they need more than one tool to swipe a snack
Cockatoos know when it will take a stick and a straw to nab a nut in a puzzle box. The birds join chimps as the only known nonhumans to use a tool kit.
- Animals
These are our favorite animal stories of 2023
Spiders that make prey walk the plank, self-aware fish and a pouty T. rex are among the critters that enchanted the Science News staff.
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Good with tools? You may be a cockatoo
Editor in chief Nancy Shute talks about smart animals, from tool-using cockatoos to "self-aware" fish.
- Paleontology
This dinosaur might have used its feet to snag prey in midair like modern hawks
Fossilized toe pads suggest a hawklike hunting style in Microraptor, a dinosaur that some scientists think could hunt while flying.
- Animals
Mary Roach’s new book ‘Fuzz’ explores the ‘criminal’ lives of animals
In “Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law,” author Mary Roach profiles mugging monkeys, thieving bears and other animal outlaws.
- Astronomy
China’s lunar rock samples show lava flowed on the moon 2 billion years ago
The first lunar rocks returned to Earth in more than 40 years show that the moon was volcanically active later than scientists thought.
- Life
Scientists have a new word for birds stealing animal hair
Dozens of YouTube videos show birds stealing hair from dogs, cats, humans, raccoons and even a porcupine — a behavior rarely documented by scientists.
- Genetics
How one scientist aims to boost Black people’s representation in genetic datasets
Through information sharing, geneticist Tshaka Cunningham wants to build trust and encourage more Black people to engage with the medical community.
