How animals get their stripes and spots
Nature has no shortage of patterns, from spots on leopards to stripes on zebras and hexagons on boxfish. But a full explanation for how these patterns form has remained elusive......»»
Microbiome studies in humans and zoo animals pave the way for new drug development
Microorganisms do not just colonize the body of mammals during infections. Billions of microbes can be found on and in healthy humans and animals at any given time, communicating with each other via chemical signals and thus influencing their health......»»
Humans have near-equal numbers of male and female babies, unlike many other animals—a new genetic study looks for clues
We know that boys and girls are produced in much the same frequency. But how—and why—is this 1:1 ratio achieved?.....»»
What we can learn from animals about death and mortality
Susana Monsó chats with Ars about her new book, Playing Possum: How Animals Understand Death. Human beings live every day with the understanding of our own mortality, but do anim.....»»
Ship-mounted camera systems help increase protections for marine mammals
Vessel strikes and entanglement are some of the leading causes of injury and death to marine animals such as whales. Increasingly urbanized waterways, warming oceans, changes in prey distribution—and in some cases, increasing species populations—.....»»
A Hong Kong zoo seeks answers after 9 monkeys die in 2 days
Hong Kong's oldest zoo is seeking answers in a monkey medical mystery after nine animals died in two days, including three members of a critically endangered species......»»
Giving First Nations names to bird species is more complex and contentious than you might think
First Peoples' names for animals and plants undeniably enrich Australian culture. But to date, few names taken from a language of Australia's First Peoples have been widely applied to birds......»»
Scientists discover one of the Earth"s earliest animals in Australian outback
In the shadow of South Australia's largest mountain range beneath the outback soil lies a fossil record that reveals a rich history of life on Earth. Fossils found at Nilpena Ediacara National Park preserve a pivotal moment in the history of evolutio.....»»
Self-driving tech companies take a hard look at their own blind spots
Self-driving tech companies like Gatik and Aurora are seeking safety audits and assessments, in part because the industry lacks agreed-upon best practices and risk thresholds......»»
Research vessel provides comprehensive assessment of the changing Central Arctic Ocean
Sparse sea ice, thousands of data points and samples, a surprising number of animals and hydrothermal vents—those are the impressions and outcomes that an international research team is now bringing back from a Polarstern expedition to the Central.....»»
On US coast, wind power foes embrace "Save the Whales" argument
Whether from real concern for marine animals or doubts about renewable energy, the anti-wind power movement has been growing along the US East Coast, with some trying to blame a surge in whale strandings on the growth of offshore energy projects......»»
Is COVID-19 infecting wild animals? Researcher test species from bats to seals to find out
Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers have found coronavirus infections in pet cats and dogs and in multiple zoo animals, including big cats and gorillas. These infections have even happened when staff were using personal protective e.....»»
You get your energy from your mom. A new study explains why
It's one of the basic tenets of biology: We get our DNA from our mom and our dad. But one notable exception has perplexed scientists for decades: Most animals, including humans, inherit the DNA inside their mitochondria—the cell's energy centers—.....»»
Get 30% off the 4K Reolink Altas PT Ultra 360-degree wireless camera
Looking for a high-definition wireless camera with a long runtime and no blind spots? Reolink’s Altas PT Ultra delivers up to 500-day battery capacity, super-sharp 4K recording, 360-degree auto-tracking, solar support, and more. Better yet, the du.....»»
Injured comb jellies can fuse into a single organism
Ctenophores merge with neighbors at wound sites, making animals with duplicate parts. Comb jellies, technically known as ctenophores, are one of the weirdest creatures on Earth. T.....»»
Data analysis navigates lookalikes to try to pin down the true number of mouse lemur species
In some parts of the world, animals are going extinct before scientists can even name them. Such may be the case for mouse lemurs, the saucer-eyed, teacup-sized primates native to the African island of Madagascar. There, deforestation has prompted th.....»»
Asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs may have led to the invention of "ant agriculture"
The event that wiped out the dinosaurs wasn't all bad. The low-light environment caused by the meteor impact some 66 million years ago favored the spread of fungi that feed on organic matter, which was abundant at the time as plants and animals were.....»»
Low stream diatom biodiversity potentially decreases stream oxygen production in remote islands
Benthic diatoms are the most important and biodiverse primary producers in streams and comprise the basis for the food webs, fueling animals such as insects and stream fishes including trout......»»
The best movies on Amazon Prime Video (October 2024)
The best movies on Amazon Prime Video include Challengers, Killer Heat, Paddington 2, Drag Me to Hell, Everybody Wants Some!!, Nocturnal Animals, and more......»»
From Moo Deng to Pesto the Penguin, here are the cutest animals taking over our feeds
From Moo Deng to Pesto the Penguin, cute animals are taking over our social media feeds. Here are the animals you need to be following. Cute animals doing funny things have always ruled the internet — some of the first viral sensations, l.....»»
Study sheds light on limitations of zooplankton for inactivating pathogen contaminated water
Scientists at The University of Texas at El Paso and Stanford University were recently surprised to find that the natural community of zooplankton—tiny, aquatic animals known to graze on bacteria—present in freshwater and saltwater do not clean w.....»»