animals
How electric eels inspired the first battery two centuries ago
Now they're pointing the way to future battery technologies.
Exotic animals and their strange relationship with ancient Greeks and Romans
To the ancient Greeks, exotic animals were proof of mythological creatures. To the ancient Romans, they were oddities and adversaries.
The spider that looks like bird poo – and other tricks animals deploy to survive
Disgusting behavior is often crucial to survival.
The study of nonhuman intelligence could be missing major insights
From machines to animals, there are many kinds of possible minds.
Was there an intelligent civilization before humans existed?
Was there an intelligent, technologically advanced species long before humans existed? Could there have been a dinosaur civilization?
Koko the Impostor: Ape sign language was a bunch of babbling nonsense
The apes taught sign language didn't understand what they were doing. They were merely "aping" their caretakers.
We are the only humans in the universe
All life forms, anywhere in our Universe, are chemically connected yet completely unique.
Simple is beautiful: Why evolution repeatedly selects symmetrical structures
Symmetrical objects are less complex than non-symmetrical ones. Perhaps evolution acts as an algorithm with a bias toward simplicity.
Fish aren’t as stupid as we thought — they can count (sort of)
Fish are surprisingly good in numbers tests — a skill that sometimes makes the difference between life and death.
You can’t judge a dog by its breed
A dog's breed isn't as predictive of behavior as many think it is. Environment and upbringing play a much larger role.
The hidden world of octopus cities and culture
Research shows that octopuses are sentient, emotional creatures.
The inner life of a lobster: Do invertebrates have emotions?
There is strong evidence that invertebrates are sentient beings.
Monkeys can sense their own heartbeats
The ability is tied to mental health, consciousness, and memory in humans.
Nature’s “zombies”: the disturbing science of neuroparasitology
An emerging field studies parasites that take over the nervous system of a host.
Hope for Bigfoot hunters: Hundreds of unknown mammal species may be hidden in plain sight
There may be thousands of undiscovered mammal species in the world. Most are small, like bats and rodents, but there could be primates, too. A lifeline for Bigfoot enthusiasts?
What do aliens look like?
We should not expect aliens to look anything like us. Creatures that resemble octopuses or birds or even robots are legitimate possibilities.
CRISPR could create hypoallergenic cats
The results of a recent study found that genetically engineering cats could be a solution to eliminating cat allergies.
Small ballooning spiders can fly along the Earth’s electrical field
Small spiders use their silk threads to passively fly, a process called ballooning. Learning how could help atmospheric scientists.
Biological Big Bang: How we solved Darwin’s dilemma
Scientists across a range of disciplines have helped solve Darwin's dilemma.
Spillback: How often do humans give animals diseases?
COVID-19 and other microbes have shed light on disease spillover from animals to humans, but we can also spillback disease to wildlife.
Why do flocks of birds swoop and swirl together in the sky? A biologist explains the science of murmurations
Murmurations have no leader and follow no plan.
History of ultrasound: From bats to frogs to Nazis to modern-day brain stimulation
More than 200 years ago, scientists tried to figure out how bats navigate in the dark (or without eyes). This set in motion a series of events that led to the development of ultrasound as a form of psychotherapy.
Chimpanzees understand the difference between malice and inability
Chimpanzees are able to consider the context of social interactions and can accept unfavorable outcomes — sometimes.
Alien life: What would constitute “smoking gun” evidence?
Multiple lines of evidence — physical, chemical, and biological — must converge for scientists to conclude that alien life has been found.
Cold water giants: Megalodon may have adapted its size to water temperature
The way that the ancient Megalodon adapted to water temperature has important implications for modern marine creatures.
Why did dinosaurs go extinct while other animals survived?
From crocodiles to birds, certain animals managed to survive some of the worst extinction events in world history.
Can we resurrect the thylacine? Maybe, but it won’t help the global extinction crisis
Assume we can make new thylacines, mammoths, diprotodons, or sabre-tooth cats. Great. Now where do we put them?