Lily Burton is the Spring 2026 science writing intern at Science News. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Molecular and Cell Biology and Anthropology from UC Berkeley. She also has…
Category: Animals
Neandertals used rhinoceros teeth as tools
Neandertals may have had an unexpected tool in their kits: rhinoceros teeth. Marks in fossil rhino teeth found in caves in France and Spain suggest they were once used as…
Singing mice puff up air sacs to make their sweet songs
Musically inclined mice inflate their throats like balloons to sing their whistling tunes. The rodential aria is produced by inflatable air sacs in the mice’s airway, researchers report May 6…
What to know about a rare hantavirus outbreak at sea
Seven people aboard a cruise ship may have gotten hantavirus, a deadly illness more often associated with breathing in desert or other land dust. How could that happen? When ship…
Cows’ methane burps may be fueled by a newfound organelle in gut microbes
A newly discovered organelle may hold the key to how much methane cattle burp out. The organelle doesn’t belong to cows. It’s part of fuzzy single-celled protozoa called ciliates. The…
Giant, kraken-like octopuses may have ruled the Cretaceous deep
The kraken — a gigantic, tentacled sea monster capable of dragging ships and sailors down into the depths — is a creature of Norwegian myth. But millions of years ago,…
Sweat bees turn a greenish color in muggy weather
When the weather gets muggy, iridescent bees shift their metallic hue. The insects are a rich blue-green when ambient humidity is low. But as the amount of moisture in the…
Got pesky, invasive corals? Blast ‘em away with air guns
Invasive corals are getting blown out of the water — with undersea air guns. While corals around the world are dying in vast numbers due to ocean acidification, climate change,…
This kea parrot is the first-known disabled alpha male
A parrot missing half his beak is top bird at New Zealand’s Willowbank Wildlife Reserve. The parrot, named Bruce, wins every fight with other kea parrots and gets priority access…
An endangered mouse may need a helping hand to adapt to climate change
A tiny mouse on the brink of extinction in coastal California may be able to adapt to a hotter world — though it might need a little help. Genetic analyses of critically…
