Eight BearsGloria DickieW.W. Norton & Co., $30 Bears have long been considered family. “Stories of a familial bear exist in almost every human culture that shares territory with the animal,”…
Category: Animals
Rats sense the wind with antennae-like whiskers above their eyes
Many rodents use whiskers to feel their way around their world. But rats appear to take this one step further, using special, antennae-like whiskers above their eyes to sense subtle…
These researchers are reimagining animal behavior through a feminist lens
When Ambika Kamath was a graduate student in evolutionary biology at Harvard University, she knew one thing for sure: She wasn’t going to research anoles, the lizards that her adviser,…
Static electricity can pull ticks on to their hosts
You don’t need to touch a tick for it find you, a new study suggests. The blood-sucking parasites may be able to catapult themselves from vegetation to their hosts thanks…
Humans exploit about one-third of wild vertebrate species
The aptly named resplendent quetzal is prized for its plumage. Golden poison frogs are popular creatures in the pet trade. Pangolin meat is considered a delicacy, and their scales are…
Young squash bugs seek out adults’ poop for an essential microbe
For young squash bugs, a sip full of feces can help the microbes go down. Squash bugs (Anasa tristis) are a major agricultural pest, and a bacterial partner called Caballeronia…
A grisly trick helps snow flies survive freezing: self-amputation
A few years ago, John Tuthill was trail running in the Cascade mountains in Washington state when he spotted something dark skittering across the snow. It was about the size…
Bottlenose dolphin moms use baby talk with their calves
McKenzie Prillaman was the Spring 2023 science writing intern at Science News. She holds a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience with a minor in bioethics from the University of Virginia and…
DNA has revealed the origin of this giant ‘mystery’ gecko
A lizard called Delcourt’s giant gecko has long been one of herpetology’s biggest mysteries — literally. Presumed extinct, the animal is by far the largest gecko known to have crawled…
How understanding horses could inspire more trustworthy robots
Throughout history, cowboys have shared epic tales of horses that have taken them home on dark, foggy nights. Legendary horses have even carried wounded soldiers through battle zones. Sensible and…
