A stunningly preserved fossil shows that early relatives of spiders and scorpions were already armed with their hallmark front claws about half a billion years ago. The newly described animal…
Category: Animals
Secrets of the Bees zooms in on life in a hive
At the edge of a wildflower meadow sits an unassuming tan box with a pitched roof. But a closer look reveals the box is buzzing with activity — literally. The…
How snakes defy gravity to stand tall
As a long and wiry scrub python slithers its way from branch to branch on a tree, it can effortlessly lift itself upright to climb onto a higher perch. But…
Watch the first video of a sperm whale birth captured by scientists
In a sperm whale birth recorded in more intimate detail than ever before, local whales huddled around the mother and lifted the calf to the surface.
Modern apes may have actually evolved in North Africa or the Middle East
Modern apes may have swung into existence in North Africa or the Middle East. New fossil findings — published March 26 in Science — unveil Masripithecus, a roughly 17-million-year-old early…
When were dogs domesticated? The oldest known dog DNA offers clues
Dogs in Europe had been domesticated from wild wolves by at least 14,200 years ago, two new genetic studies suggest. Both studies, published March 25 in Nature, use ancient DNA…
These insects fly with their legs. Physics explains how
Senior physics writer Emily Conover has a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Chicago. She is a two-time winner of the D.C. Science Writers’ Association Newsbrief award and a…
Female giant rainforest mantises grow up to strike harder than males
If giant rainforest mantises went to kindergarten, little girl mantises wouldn’t look any bigger and stronger than the little boy mantises. Not until the end of mantis high school would…
Mosquitoes get the ‘I’m full’ signal from their butts, not their brains
Mosquitoes have an appetite dampener in their derrières. When mosquitoes’ bellies are full, special cells in their rectums block their bloodthirst, researchers report March 20 in Current Biology. The finding…
Sharks are ingesting drugs in the Bahamas
Sharks off the coast of the Bahamas are getting into drugs like cocaine, caffeine and painkillers — or rather, drugs are getting into them. The contaminated blood of species including…
