Search Results for: Invertebrate

Life

This ancient worm might be an important evolutionary missing link

A roughly 520-million-year-old fossil may be the common ancestor of a diverse collection of marine invertebrates.

Paleontology

520-million-year-old animal fossils might not be animals after all

Newly described fossils of Protomelission gatehousei suggest that the species, once thought to be the oldest example of bryozoans, is actually a type of colony-forming algae.

Animals

A ‘fire wolf’ fish could expand what we know about one unusual deep-sea ecosystem

Unlike other known methane seeps, Jacó Scar is slightly warmer than the surrounding water and is a home for both cold-loving and heat-loving organisms.

Animals

This spider literally flips for its food

The Australian ant-slayer spider’s acrobatics let it feast on insects twice its size, a new study shows,

Paleontology

Scientists are arguing over the identity of a fossilized 10-armed creature

An ancient cephalopod fossil may be the oldest ancestor of octopuses, but the interpretation hinges on the identification of one feature.

Science & Society

How some of 2021’s major science stories evolved over time

Tulsa massacre analysis and a genetically modified mosquito release are two important updates to 2021 stories.

Animals

These dolphins may turn to corals for skin care

For Indo-Pacific bottlenosed dolphins, rubbing against corals and sea sponges that contain antibacterial compounds could help keep skin healthy.

Animals

Leeches expose wildlife’s whereabouts and may aid conservation efforts

DNA from the blood meals of more than 30,000 leeches shows how animals use the protected Ailaoshan Nature Reserve in China.

Paleontology

‘Penis worms’ may have been the original hermits

Soft-bodied critters called penis worms inhabited abandoned shells — a la modern-day hermit crabs — by about 500 million years ago, a study suggests.

Life

Like bees of the sea, crustaceans ‘pollinate’ seaweed

Crustaceans shuttle around red algae’s sex cells, helping the seaweed reproduce in a manner remarkably similar to flower pollination.

Animals

Assassin bugs tap spiders to distract them before a lethal strike

Some assassin bugs stroke their antennae on spiders when within striking distance, possibly imitating touches that spiders experience near their kin.

Animals

Some young sea spiders can regrow their rear ends

Juvenile sea spiders can regenerate nearly all of their bottom halves — including muscles and the anus — or make do without them.