All Stories by Carolyn Wilke
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AnimalsSome ancient crocodiles may have chomped on plants instead of meat
Fossil teeth of extinct crocodyliforms suggest that some ate plants and that herbivory evolved at least three times in crocs of the Mesozoic Era.
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MicrobesGut microbes might help elite athletes boost their physical performance
Veillonella bacteria increased in some runners’ guts after a marathon, and may make a compound that might boost endurance, a mouse study suggests.
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AnimalsParasites ruin some finches’ songs by chewing through the birds’ beaks
Parasitic fly larvae damage the beaks of Galápagos finches, changing their mating songs and possibly causing females to pick males of a different species.
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AstronomyTable salt may be hiding in Europa’s underground sea
Observations of Europa by the Hubble Space Telescope suggest that the moon’s ice-covered ocean may hold sodium chloride, or common table salt.
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EcosystemsMany of the world’s rivers are flush with dangerous levels of antibiotics
Antibiotic pollution can fuel drug resistance in microbes. A global survey of rivers finds unsafe levels of antibiotics in 16 percent of sites.
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AnimalsBats are the main cause of rare rabies deaths in the U.S.
In the United States, bats are mostly to blame for rabies deaths, while rabies transmitted by overseas dogs comes in second.
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AnimalsTiny structures in dragonfish teeth turn them into invisible daggers
The teeth of deep-sea dragonfish are transparent because of nanoscale crystals and rods that let light pass through without being scattered.
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EnvironmentChemicals in biodegradable food containers can leach into compost
PFAS compounds from compostable food containers could end being absorbed by plants and later eaten by people, though the health effects are unclear.
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EnvironmentHow one fern hoards toxic arsenic in its fronds and doesn’t die
To survive high levels of arsenic, a fern sequesters the heavy metal in its shoots with the help of three proteins.
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ChemistryVaping the sweetener sucralose may produce toxic chemicals
Sucralose in e-liquids can break down, increasing toxic aldehydes in vapors and producing harmful organochlorines, including a potential carcinogen.
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AnimalsA 50-million-year-old fossil captures a swimming school of fish
Analysis of a fossilized fish shoal suggests that animals may have evolved coordinated group movement around 50 million years ago.
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ChemistrySweaty, vinegary and sweet odors mingle to make dark chocolate’s smell
Scientists have worked out the chemistry of dark chocolate’s smell and reconstructed the aroma.