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…
Category: Animals
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…
These beetle larvae lure in bees by mimicking flowers
Like wily perfumers, a parasitic beetle’s larvae create floral aromas to lure in bees. Plants are known to cosplay as animals, but this rare discovery could be the first known…
Canadian humpback whales thrive with a little help from their friends
For one population of whales, teamwork makes the dream work. Decades after commercial whaling nearly drove them to extinction, a feeding behavior known as bubble netting is helping a group…
Spider silk-making organs evolved due to a 400-million-year-old genetic oops
Spiders’ ability to spin webs may be one consequence of a really big genetic mistake. A close look at the genetics and development of spinnerets — spiders’ silk-making organs —…
