There’s a Sherlock Holmes tale in here somewhere: A clever observer could check wrinkles and whiskers on an elephant trunk to catch a left-trunker pachyderm perp masquerading as a righty,…
Category: Animals
These sea creatures can fuse their bodies
In a Frankenstein-y feat, a small, gelatinous sea creature can merge its body with a neighbor’s. The animals — called sea walnuts, a type of comb jelly — can then…
Some tadpoles don’t poop for weeks. That keeps their pools clean
Some tadpoles don’t poop for the first weeks of their lives. At least, that’s the case for Eiffinger’s tree frogs (Kurixalus eiffingeri), scientists report September 22 in Ecology. Eiffinger’s tree…
Dolphins’ open-mouth behaviors during play are like smiles, a study claims
Dolphins are known for what appear to be big, contagious smiles. But do they actually, well, smile? The answer, according to a new study of dolphin play, is a resounding…
Coyotes have the face muscles for that ‘sad-puppy’ look
Coyotes turn out to have face muscles that look capable of making that big-eyed, sad-puppy face that dogs have used to melt human hearts for eons. That discovery supports a…
Bird nests made with a toxic fungus seem to fend off attacking ants
When building a bird nest in ant territory, the best defense could be an offensive fungus. Swollen-thorn acacia trees are aggressively defended by multiple species of ants. And yet, several…
‘Night Magic’ invites you to celebrate the living wonders of the dark
Night MagicLeigh Ann HenionAlgonquin Books, $30 I feel like I’ve been out all night. In my mind, I’ve been walking the mountains and meadows of the Appalachian region after dark.…
This fish has legs — and it uses them for more than just walking
It’s a bird! It’s a crab! No, it’s a fish that can taste with its legs. Some sea robins, a group of fishes with two winglike fins and six crablike…
Scientists have just turned giant panda skin cells into stem cells
With roughly 2,000 giant pandas remaining in the wild, scientists have spent the last several decades looking for new ways to help the iconic black-and-white bears stave off extinction. And…
Ants changed the architecture of their nests when exposed to a pathogen
Extreme Climate Survey Science News is collecting reader questions about how to navigate our planet’s changing climate. What do you want to know about extreme heat and how it can…
