Animals

  1. Life

    Mammoth genome approaching completion

    Genetic material extracted from the hair of woolly mammoths has revealed new information about the extinct creatures, including how closely related they are to modern elephants.

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  2. Animals

    Forensics’ next tool: Hair-collecting caterpillars

    First human DNA extraction from hair bits in moth larval case.

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  3. Chemistry

    Silk

    Mimicking how spiders make their complex array of silks could usher in a tapestry of new materials, and other animals or plants could be designed to be the producers.

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  4. Life

    Morse Toad: When amphibians tap their toes

    Toe wiggling creates motions, vibrations that get potential prey moving.

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  5. Animals

    Bat syndrome’s telltale white nose-mold new to science

    Newly cultured fungus named as a suspect in deadly white-nose syndrome

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  6. Animals

    Farm chemicals can indirectly hammer frogs

    A widely used agricultural weed killer teams up with fertilizer to render frogs especially vulnerable to debilitating parasites.

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  7. Animals

    Not Your Father’s Song

    The next generation of birds chooses its music.

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  8. Animals

    Honeybees still at risk

    Bees still suffering from colony collapse disorder.

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  9. Animals

    Spider males good for mating, food

    Expectant mothers, including spiders, need to eat well. For Mediterranean tarantulas, a male suitor tastes just fine.

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  10. Animals

    I, Magpie

    Some magpies recognize themselves in mirrors, indicating that a basic form of self-recognition evolved in one family of birds.

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  11. Animals

    Built for Speed

    Animals would prove fierce competitors at the Olympics — if only they would stay in their lanes.

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  12. Animals

    We all sing like fish

    From opera singers to toadfish, vertebrates may use basically similar circuitry for controlling vocal muscles.

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