En garde! Wasps use penis spikes to ward off predators
An accidental sting has helped Japanese scientists prove some male wasps have a rather unusual predator defence weapon: penis spikes......»»
Fact checkers tend to agree on validity of news claims, researchers say
The use of fact-checking services spikes during major news events. Fortunately, the fact checkers have generally agreed in their assessments of whether news claims are true or false, according to researchers from the Penn State College of Information.....»»
Antarctic krill head south: Scientists fear the movement will have a negative impact on predators
Some populations of Antarctic krill are shifting south, closer to Antarctica, as ocean warming and sea-ice changes alter their habitat. Scientists fear the movement of krill will have a negative impact on predators like whales, seals and penguins, an.....»»
Hotter weather caused by climate change could mean more mosquitos, according to study
A warmer environment could mean more mosquitos as it becomes harder for their predators to control the population, according to a recent study led by Virginia Commonwealth University researchers......»»
Resting gray reef sharks change what we know about how they breathe
Predators in perpetual motion. Sleepless in our seas. If that's your image of sharks, you're not alone. And for good reason: sharks must swim to breathe (or so we were told). The science of how sharks sleep and breathe is linked, and while all sharks.....»»
Beluga whales" calls may get drowned out by shipping noise in Alaska"s Cook Inlet
Beluga whales are highly social and vocal marine mammals. They use acoustics to navigate, find prey, avoid predators and maintain group cohesion. For Alaska's critically endangered Cook Inlet beluga population, these crucial communications may compet.....»»
New math approach provides insight into memory formation
The simple activity of walking through a room jumpstarts the neurons in the human brain. An explosion of electrochemical events or "neuronal spikes" appears at various times during the action. These spikes in activity, otherwise known as action poten.....»»
The ocean"s first large swimming apex predators had exceptionally rapid growth, fossil study finds
The rapid diversification of animals over 500 million years ago—often referred to as the Cambrian Explosion—saw the appearance of the first large swimming predators in our oceans. Amplectobelua symbrachiata, a member of the group Radiodonta, whic.....»»
Genomic studies shed light on the origins of bee venom
Bees, wasps and ants belong to the Hymenoptera order and inject a whole cocktail of venomous ingredients when they sting. Despite their tremendous ecological and economic importance, little was previously known about the origins of their venom......»»
Study: The serotine bat uses its super-large penis as an arm when mating
Further research involves building a "bat porn box" to catch more mating acts on camera. Enlarge / "That's not my arm": Male serotine bats have such large penises, they can use them as an arm while mating. (credit: Alona Shulenko.....»»
Dutch retiree helps solve mystery of strangely large bat penis
Scientists have solved the mystery of one of the animal kingdom's most disproportionately large penises thanks to a Dutch retiree recording bat sex in a church attic......»»
Skunks" warning stripes less prominent where predators are sparse, study finds
Striped skunks are less likely to evolve with their famous and white markings where the threat of predation from mammals is low, scientists from the University of Bristol, Montana and Long Beach, California have discovered......»»
These bats use their penis as an "arm" during sex but not for penetration
Mammals usually mate via penetrative sex, but researchers report Nov. 20 in the journal Current Biology that a species of bat, the serotine bat, (Eptesicus serotinus) mates without penetration. This is the first time non-penetrative sex has been docu.....»»
Global one-day temperature spikes above 2C for first time: EU monitor
The global average temperature on Friday was more than two degrees Celsius hotter than pre-industrial levels for the first time on record, Europe's Copernicus climate monitor said Monday......»»
Canadian cities continue to over-invest in policing, researcher says
Year-end debates about 2024 budgets have already begun across Canada, with cities like Waterloo and Ottawa proposing spikes in police budgets......»»
Is fear of sharks being overblown?
"Just when you thought it was safe to get back in the water...." It's one of the most famous taglines in film history, immortalizing sharks as ruthless predators. But beyond the horror generated by Spielberg's "Jaws" series, a persistent fear of shar.....»»
How tiny hinges bend the infection-spreading spikes of a coronavirus
A coronavirus uses protein "spikes" to grab and infect cells. Despite their name, those spikes aren't stiff and pointy. They're shaped like chicken drumsticks with the meaty part facing out, and the meaty part can tilt every which way on its slender.....»»
"Alien" wasps thriving in tropical forests, study finds
Researchers say they have discovered a high diversity of Darwin wasps in a tropical rainforest in Brazil, wasps which were previously thought to thrive more in cooler habitats......»»
A croc"s life: There"s more than meets the eye
Saltwater crocodiles are large predators that lurk in muddy waters, with jaws powerful enough to attack anything from water buffalo to humans... but they are also just big chilled-out lounge-lizards who love to sunbake......»»
SMBs at risk as AI misconceptions lead to overconfidence
Despite advancements in IT security measures, SMBs remain firmly in the crosshairs of cybercriminals, according to Devolutions. Ransomware payments and IoT malware incidents soar Spikes in incidents such as ransomware payments and IoT malware attacks.....»»
Discovery of three novel Minorisa species, the smallest predatory marine picoplankton
Minorisa, a group of unicellular eukaryotes (protists), is renowned as one of the smallest predators in the world. These microorganisms are widely distributed in oceans, with a particular abundance in coastal regions, where they are believed to play.....»»