In a discovery that blurs the line between biology and technology, scientists have found that heart-shaped clams use fiber optic–like structures to channel sunlight through their shells in much the…
Category: Animals
Stray DNA is all around us. It could revolutionize conservation
On a warm, sunny day in April, biologists David Duffy and Jessica Farrell prepare to motor down the Matanzas River on a small boat to catalog the area’s aquatic life.…
A twisted protein sheds light on chronic wasting disease in deer
The misfolded proteins responsible for a fatal neurological illness in deer have a twist. The first detailed structure of an infectious prion that causes chronic wasting disease, or CWD, reveals…
Bees flying near cars are dying by the millions, a roadkill study suggests
Tens of millions of bees are likely being killed each day by vehicles — and that’s just in the western United States, a new study finds. The paper, published online…
Putting vampire bats on treadmills reveals an unusual metabolism
Vampire bats have become such specialized bloodsuckers that they metabolize their food more like some blood-feeding flies than like other known mammals, a new experiment shows. The common vampire bat…
Why finding bird flu in a U.S. pig for the first time is raising new worries
At least one pig has picked up bird flu amid an outbreak in poultry on a backyard farm in central Oregon. While the infection appears limited to one farm so…
A single enzyme can alter the vibrant colors in parrot plumage
One enzyme has a key role in determining whether parrots’ rainbow plumage emerges in vibrant reds, yellows or greens, a new study shows. Parrot feathers flaunt an array of colors,…
This marine biologist discovered a unique blue whale population in Sri Lanka
Pooping whales changed the course of Asha de Vos’ career. The Sri Lankan marine biologist was aboard a research vessel near her home island in 2003 when she spotted six…
These hornets may be the alcohol-detox champs of the animal world
Don’t get into a drinking contest with Vespa orientalis hornets. They could out-booze a tree shrew, even a fruit fly. Mere humans wouldn’t stand a chance. These hornets can survive…
Giant rats could help sniff out illegally smuggled goods
A new kind of border patrol agent could soon start work in African ports, sniffing out illegal goods that are smuggled across country lines. They’re rats. And they wear tiny…
