Animals

Animals

Here’s how high-speed diving kingfishers may avoid concussions

Understanding the genetic adaptations that protect the birds’ brains when they dive for food might one day offer clues to protecting human brains.

Animals

Fake fog, ‘re-skinning’ and ‘sea-weeding’ could help coral reefs survive

Coral reefs are in global peril, but scientists around the world are working hard to find ways to help them survive the Anthropocene.

Animals

At the foot of a melting glacier in Peru, llamas helped revitalize the land

A partnership between scientists and farmers suggests how llama herding can mitigate some of the impacts of climate change.

Animals

Pumping cold water into rivers could act as ‘air conditioning’ for fish

Hundreds of salmon, trout and other fish sought shelter from summer heat in human-made shelters, suggesting a way to help fish adapt to river warming.

Genetics

These 8 GMOs tell a brief history of genetic modification

Since the first genetically modified organism 50 years ago, GMOs have brought us disease-resistant crops, new drugs and more.

Animals

How sea anemones living on deep-sea hydrothermal vents avoid metal poisoning

The anemone Alvinactis idsseensis dominates its toxic environment thanks to an unusual number of genes geared toward protecting cells from heavy metals.

Life

10 billion snow crabs have disappeared off the Alaskan coast. Here’s why

In the eastern Bering Sea, the snow crab population plummeted after a marine heat wave in 2018. The crabs may have starved, a new study finds.

Animals

Scientists debunked a long-standing cicada myth by analyzing their guts

The lack of obvious chewing mouthparts may have made casual observers think that adult cicadas don’t need to feed. But that’s not the case.

Animals

In a first, genetically modified silkworms produced pure spider silk

An effort to engineer silkworms to produce spider silk brings us closer than ever to exploiting the extraordinary properties of this arachnid fiber.

Life

Ants may be the first known insects ensnared in plastic pollution

At this point, it’s unclear whether this type of trash harms insects, but the discovery highlights the ubiquity of plastic pollution in the wild.

Animals

Gene editing can make chickens resistant to bird flu

Chickens genetically modified to be impervious to avian influenza may one day prevent the spread of the disease on farms, a study suggests.

Life

Hippos might be ferocious fighters, but their big teeth make them terrible chewers

Among plant eaters, hippos are the worst chewers. Their huge tusks and front teeth keep the jaw from moving side to side to grind food, a study finds.