Rufus net-casting spiders can tune the stiffness and elasticity of their webs thanks to loops of silk, scanning electron microscope images reveal.
Category: Animals
This itch-triggering protein also sends signals to stop scratching
People who can’t stop scratching itches may finally have a culprit to blame. In mice (and probably people), a protein called TRPV4 is involved both in starting an itch and…
A mouth built for efficiency may have helped the earliest bird fly
About 150 million years ago, in a coastal lagoon in what is now southern Germany, the oldest known bird gobbled up food with a beak built for efficient eating. It’s…
Some dog breeds carry a higher risk of breathing problems
Many people find their flattened faces cute, but among dogs bred with a squished visage, 11 percent or less of some breeds can breathe easily. The findings, published February 18…
Regeneration of fins and limbs relies on a shared cellular playbook
In the 2012 movie The Amazing Spider-Man, a key character regrows his missing arm by imbibing reptilian DNA — but then turns into a monster lizard that Spider-Man must foil. While…
How tracking golden eagles in Nevada revealed a desert ‘death vortex’
Golden eagles in Nevada are dying at an alarming rate, and no one can pinpoint the cause. Their carcasses litter the landscape in Dry Lake Valley, a bone-white stretch of…
Some snakes lack the ‘hunger hormone.’ Experts are hungry to know why
Snakes would do great on Survivor. These animals can last weeks — even months — without food. A couple of recently discovered genetic changes may help. Certain snakes and some…
A sea turtle boom may be hiding a population collapse
Around the world, many conservationists are celebrating increases in sea turtle population growth. Cape Verde in West Africa now has 100 times as many loggerhead turtle nests each year as…
A bonobo’s imaginary tea party suggests apes can play pretend
Humans may not be the only primates with the power to imagine. During a make-believe tea party, a bonobo named Kanzi kept track of invisible juice and imaginary grapes, researchers…
Some dung beetles dig deep to keep their eggs cool
In the face of global warming, some dung beetles may already have a survival strategy. As temperatures rise, temperate rainbow scarabs bury their dung deeper, keeping developing young inside dung…
