All Stories by Helen Thompson
- Paleontology
Tyrannosaurs fought and ate each other
Evidence from a tyrannosaur skull and jaw fossils add to the argument that the ancient reptiles fought and weren’t above scavenging their own.
- Genetics
Mummies tell tuberculosis tales from the crypt
Hungarian mummies contracted multiple strains of tuberculosis at the same time, researchers find.
- Humans
Natural selection may be growing taller Dutch people
Over the past 200 years, natural selection may have driven the evolution of taller Dutch people, researchers posit.
- Animals
Distinct voices fill the fish soundscape at night
Researchers find that fish sound frequencies overlap more during the day and are more distinct at night.
- Oceans
UV light reveals hidden patterns on seashell fossils
Under UV light, fossil seashell color patterns glow, a researcher finds.
- Animals
Fossilized seashells’ true colors revealed
To the naked eye, fossilized seashells lack the colorful patterns of their living counterparts. But ultraviolet light can reveal some of their unique hues.
- Animals
Heat makes scuttling tarantulas less coordinated
On hot days, tarantula run faster, but their may be harder to bend and flex at high speeds, researchers find.
- Animals
Songbird crosses the Atlantic in a nonstop flight
Using light-sensing geolocators, researchers confirm an iconic songbird’s impressive transoceanic migration.
- Microbes
Some superbugs lurk in Britain’s surf
In Great Britain’s coastal waters, surfers and swimmers are exposed to low levels of drug-resistant E. coli, a new study finds.
- Animals
Panda stalking reveals panda hangouts
Scientists used GPS trackers to learn about the giant panda lifestyle.
- Astronomy
Enigmatic 17th century nova wasn’t a nova at all
A nova observed in 1670 was actually two stars colliding, new evidence suggests.
- Life
A vineyard’s soil influences the microbiome of a grapevine
Vineyard soil microbes end up on grapes, leaves and flowers, study finds.
