Animals

Neuroscience

Lampreys have ‘fight or flight’ cells, challenging ideas about nervous system evolution

The discovery of sympathetic nervous system cells in lampreys draws a closer tie between the animal and complex vertebrates — such as humans.

Animals

Want to see butterflies in your backyard? Try doing less yardwork

Growing out patches of grass can lure adult butterflies and moths with nectar and offer lawn mower–free havens for toddler caterpillars.

Animals

This orangutan used a medicinal plant on his face wound

Rakus the orangutan appeared to be treating a cut to his face with a plant that’s also used in traditional human medicine.

Animals

Belugas may communicate by warping a blob of forehead fat

Jiggling the “melon” like Jell-O seems to be associated with sexual behaviors, scientists say.

Animals

Ximena Velez-Liendo is saving Andean bears with honey

By training beekeepers, biologist Ximena Velez-Liendo is helping rural agricultural communities of southern Bolivia coexist with Andean bears.

Health & Medicine

Traces of bird flu are showing up in cow milk. Here’s what to know

We asked the experts: Should people be worried? Pasteurization and the H5N1 virus’s route to infection suggests risks to people remains low.

Ecosystems

Noise pollution can harm birds even before they hatch

Exposing zebra finch eggs and hatchlings to traffic sounds had lifelong health impacts, raising concerns about increased anthropogenic noise.

Animals

Glowing octocorals have been around for at least 540 million years

Genetic and fossil analyses shine a light on how long the invertebrates have had bioluminescence — a trait thought to be volatile.

Ecosystems

A new road map shows how to prevent pandemics

Past viral spillover events underscore the importance of protecting wildlife habitats.

Animals

Hibernating bumblebee queens have a superpower: Surviving for days underwater

After some bumblebee queens were accidentally submerged in water and survived, researchers found them to be surprisingly tolerant of flooding.

Animals

This newfound longhorn beetle species is unusually fluffy

Discovered in Australia, the beetle is covered in whitish hairs and has distinctive eye lobes, antennae and leg shapes.

Animals

50 years ago, scientists wondered how birds find their way home

In the 1970s, lab tests hinted that birds can navigate using magnetic fields. New studies suggest that beak and eye proteins are behind the ability.