PROTEIN SNACK Southern pig-tail macaques have been observed devouring rats — possibly helping rodent control on Malaysian oil palm plantations.
Anna Holzner/Macaca Nemestrina Project
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Magazine
In the July 7 SN: The impact hypothesis that won’t die, CAR-T cell therapy upgrades, bad news for Antarctica, a quoll conundrum, honeybees know zero, how volcanoes kill, Jupiter’s polar lightning and more.
Life & Evolution
Topic Image Rail
WILD WASTE Nitrogen from the guano of seabirds, such as this red-footed booby chick, leaches into coral ecosystems and helps them stay robust.
N. Graham
MONARCH BEWARE As the climate changes, lovely tropical milkweed popular in gardens may become even more of a danger to monarch butterflies than it is now.
Warren Price Photography/Shutterstock
Life & Evolution
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Animals
How Bizarre
Malaysia’s pig-tail macaques eat rats, head first
Pig-tail macaques are seen as a menace on Malaysian palm oil plantations, but may be helping to reduce rodent populations.The Science Life
Surprise! This shark looks like a male on the outside, but it’s made babies
External male reproductive organs hid internal female capacity to give birth among hermaphrodite sharks in India. -
Plants
News
The most ancient African baobabs are dying and no one knows why
Scientists aren’t sure what’s killing the oldest African baobabs, nine of which have lost big chunks or died in the last 13 years.Feature
Meet the speedsters of the plant world
Researchers have recently uncovered a diverse array of mechanisms that allow plants to move — often faster than the blink of an eye. -
Microbes
Science TickerThis plastic-gobbling enzyme just got an upgrade
Scientists tweaked a bacterial enzyme and made it more efficient in breaking down plastics found in polyester and plastic bottles.News in Brief
This material uses energy from ambient light to kill hospital superbugs
A quantum dot–powered material could help reduce the number of hospital-acquired infections, including those with drug-resistant bacteria. -
Fungi
News
A deadly fungus is infecting snake species seemingly at random
A fungal disease doesn’t appear to discriminate among snake species, suggesting many of the reptiles may be at risk.Science TickerHow a mushroom gets its glow
For the first time, biologists have pinpointed the compound that lights up in fungal bioluminescence. -
Conservation
Science TickerShipping noise can disturb porpoises and disrupt their mealtime
Noise from ships may disturb harbor porpoises enough to keep them from getting the food they need.News
Light pollution can foil plant-insect hookups, and not just at night
Upsetting nocturnal pollinators has daylight after-effects for Swiss meadow flowers. -
Evolution
Reviews & Previews
Skeletons come in many shapes and sizes
In Skeletons, two paleobiologists recount how and why skeletons evolved, as well as the variety of forms they take and the many purposes they serve.Reviews & Previews
Fossils sparked Charles Darwin’s imagination
Darwin’s Fossils recounts how finding extinct species in South America helped Charles Darwin develop his theory of evolution. -
Ecology
Wild ThingsMadagascar’s predators are probably vulnerable to toxic toads
The Asian common toad, an invasive species in Madagascar, produces a toxin in its skin that’s probably toxic to most of the island’s predators.50 Years Ago
50 years ago, invasive species traveled the Suez Canal
Hundreds of Red Sea species used the Suez Canal to migrate to the Mediterranean Sea, leading to the decline of some native species. -
Paleontology
News
Long-necked dinosaurs grew to be giants in more ways than one
Some early relatives of giant, long-necked sauropods may have used a different strategy to grow to colossal sizes than previously thought.Introducing
These newfound frogs have been trapped in amber for 99 million years
Trapped in amber, 99-million-year-old frog fossils reveal the amphibians lived in a wet, tropical climate. -
Biophysics
News in Brief
Why cracking your knuckles can be so noisy
Knuckles crack due to the partial collapse of bubbles in joint fluid, a new study suggests.News
Earwigs take origami to extremes to fold their wings
Stretchy joints let earwig wings flip quickly between folded and unfurled.
