People have different tastes. It turns out that octopuses, squid and cuttlefish do too. These soft-bodied cephalopods have proteins on suckers along their tentacles that allow them to “taste” by…
Category: Animals
Hibernating bears don’t get blood clots. Now scientists know why
People stuck sitting in tight airplane seats for an entire long-haul flight are at risk of dangerous blood clots. But somehow immobile, hibernating bears are not. Now scientists know why.…
Freshwater leeches’ taste for snails could help control snail-borne diseases
Leeches might seem like relics of a bygone age of medicine, but they haven’t outlived their usefulness to people yet. The freshwater leech Helobdella austinensis can eat its weight in…
The last leg of the longest butterfly migration has now been identified
Every year, painted lady butterflies born in Europe embark south on an epic journey to Africa. Now, researchers know exactly where on the continent these long-haul travelers spend their winter…
This sea cucumber shoots sticky tubes out of its butt. Its genes hint at how
Some lizards shed their still-wriggling tails to distract predators, but sea cucumbers take this sort of strategy to the next level. Some startled sea cucumbers shoot a silky — and…
The Journey Of Water, From Resource To Source Of Multiple Values
At the end of March, the United Nations held its first Conference on Water in nearly a half century. Its location—New York City—provided a compelling geography to learn from the…
The food we eat and its impact on climate change
How we grow food, consume it and waste it may play a big role in whether the world can avert a climate catastrophe, environmentalists and climate change analysts say. One…
Troubling news for monarch butterfly populations | Stories
The Eastern migratory monarch butterfly is at risk: new reports show a sharp population decline and a loss of habitat in the forests where they winter each year. In just…
How community and Indigenous efforts contribute to protecting our oceans | Stories
Clearly, change is needed to protect our ocean’s incredible wildlife, but we also need to ensure that such protection doesn’t cut off access to the ocean’s many varied resources for…
Namibia’s female rhino rangers make an impact beyond the areas they survey | Stories
The “desert-adapted” black rhinos in Kunene are the only truly wild black rhino population remaining in the world, living on unfenced communal lands and outside of national parks. The rhinos…
