Life

Salamander's algal partners, tool-using capuchins and more in this week's news

Embryos (and algae) on board
Spotted salamander embryos may rank as the first known vertebrates with full-fledged algal partners living inside their cells. Biologists had known that the embryos link up in some mutually beneficial way with an Oophilia algal species. Embryos develop more quickly and the algae grow better when the species entangle.