Reviews Animals

‘Furry Logic’ showcases how animals exploit physics

Book chronicles use of light, magnetism and other phenomena

Peacock

SOUNDS GOOD  When peacocks shake their tail feathers, they make low-frequency sounds that attract peahens. This manipulation of sound is one example of animals’ use of physics detailed in Furry Logic.

Jatin Sindhu/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

By Sid Perkins

This article is only available to Science News subscribers.

Subscribers, enter your e-mail address to access our archives.

Not a subscriber?

Science News is a nonprofit.

Support us by subscribing now.

More Stories from Science News on Animals

  1. stream in Idaho
    Ecosystems

    As ‘phantom rivers’ roar, birds and bats change their hunting habits

    By Nikk Ogasa
  2. a group of mice that were exposed to space radiation
    Animals

    Mouse sperm thrived despite six years of exposure to space radiation

    By Maria Temming
  3. yellow canary bird sitting on a branch
    Animals

    The mere sight of illness may kick-start a canary’s immune system

    By Jonathan Lambert
  4. an elephant takes a drink from a lake
    Animals

    Newly recognized tricks help elephants suck up huge amounts of water

    By Sid Perkins
  5. Cryptochiton stelleri on the seafloor
    Animals

    The teeth of ‘wandering meatloaf’ contain a rare mineral found only in rocks

    By Charles Q. Choi
  6. gray wolf
    Animals

    Gray wolves scare deer from roads, reducing dangerous collisions

    By Jack J. Lee
  7. photo of a red/pink sea star
    Animals

    Urchin mobs team up to butcher sea stars that prey on them

    By Jake Buehler
  8. mouse drinking water
    Animals

    Mammal brains may use the same circuits to control tongues and limbs

    By Charles Q. Choi

From the Nature Index

Paid Content