Life

Ecosystems

Wanted: Reef Cleaners

Nearly 18 years after a near total die-off of algae-grazing urchins in the Caribbean, those herbivores are poised for a comeback—which could help save area corals.

Animals

Smart tags show unexpected tuna trips

The first report on Atlantic bluefin tuna wearing electronic tags reveals much more dashing across the ocean than expected.

Paleontology

A Ticklish Debate

Paleontologists engaged in a contentious debate about the origins of feathers often reach interpretations that are poles apart, and they defend their views with fervor.

Animals

Bat bites bird. . .in migration attacks

The largest bat in Europe may hunt down migrating birds.

Ecosystems

Marine plankton put nitrogen in a fix

New genetic analyses of tropical marine microorganisms hint that some species are converting significant amounts of atmospheric nitrogen into nutrients, helping to fortify the base of the ocean's food pyramid.

Ecosystems

Fish stocking may transmit toad disease

Hatchery-raised trout can transfer a deadly fungus to western toads, bolstering the view that fish stocking may play a role in amphibian population declines.

Paleontology

Neandertals, humans may have grown apart

A controversial fossil analysis finds that the skulls of Neandertals and humans grew in markedly different ways.

Animals

Roach gals get less choosy as time goes by

As their first reproductive peak wanes, female cockroaches become more like male ones, willing to mate with any potential partner that moves.

Paleontology

Study picks new site for dinosaur nostrils

A new analysis of fossils and living animals suggests that most dinosaurs' nostrils occurred at locations toward the tip of their snout rather than farther up on their face, a concept that may change scientists' views of the animals' physiology and behavior.

Animals

Don’t look now, but is that dog laughing?

Researchers have identified a particular exhalation that dogs make while playing as a possible counterpart to a human laugh.

Paleontology

For past climate clues, ask a stalag-mite

Mites fossilized in cave formations in the American Southwest show that at times during the past 3,200 years the climate there was much wetter and cooler.

Animals

Condor chicks hatch in zoo and wild

Newly hatched California condor chicks indicate that reproduction is again taking place in the wild.