Animals
- Animals
These bats are the only mammals known to mate more like birds
Male serotine bats have penises too large for penetration. To mate, the animals rub their genitals against each other, somewhat like birds’ cloacal kiss.
- Animals
The first embryos from a mammal have now been grown in space
Mouse embryos in space can develop into clusters of cells called blastocysts. The result is a step toward understanding how human embryos will fare.
- Life
Crabs left the sea not once, but several times, in their evolution
A new study is the most comprehensive analysis yet of the evolution of “true crabs.”
- Life
Bonobos, like humans, cooperate with unrelated members of other groups
Cooperation between unrelated individuals in different groups without clear and immediate benefit was thought to be uniquely human. Its presence in bonobos may help explain its evolution.
- Animals
How hummingbirds fly through spaces too narrow for their wings
Using high-speed cameras, a new study reveals Anna’s hummingbirds turn sideways to shimmy through gaps half as wide as their wingspan.
- Life
Head lice hitched a ride on humans to the Americas at least twice
The genes of head lice record the story of their human hosts’ global voyages.
- Animals
The mysterious deaths of dozens of Zimbabwe’s elephants has been solved
A bacterium never before identified in elephants or implicated in deadly internal hemorrhaging killed Zimbabwe elephants in 2020, genetic tests show.
- 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.
