The mummified remains of of a land-dwelling vertebrate are helping to reveal how early ancient reptiles began to take a breath with their whole chests — the breathing style used…
Category: Animals
A new book finds parenting inspiration in the animal kingdom
The Creatures’ Guide to Caring Elizabeth PrestonViking, $30 My early days of nursing a newborn felt like I’d transformed into a 24-hour diner. A demanding yet adorable customer flagged me…
Cicadas use darkness cues from shadows to move toward trees
When periodical cicadas surface after years underground, they don’t grope blindly for trees. They head for the shadows, researchers report March 20 in the American Naturalist. A detailed analysis of…
Fossil reveals that an early relative of spiders had claws
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…
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…
