Unusual prey: Spiders eating snakes
There are spiders that eat snakes. Observations of snake-eating spiders have been reported around the world. Two researchers from Basel and the US consolidated and analyzed over 300 reports of this unusual predation strategy......»»
Homo sapiens facilitated establishment of Bonelli"s eagle in the Mediterranean 50,000 years ago, study finds
Spanish and Portuguese scientists have unraveled the ancestral history of one of the most iconic birds of prey in the current Iberian fauna, the Bonelli's eagle (Aquila fasciata). The work, published in the journal People and Nature, integrates evide.....»»
Ancient DNA from an extinct native duck reveals how far birds flew to make New Zealand home
Ask a bird lover if they have heard of the extinct giant moa or its ancient predator, Haast's eagle, and the answer will likely be yes. The same can't be said of New Zealand's extinct, but equally unique, mergansers—a group of fish-eating ducks wit.....»»
How hunting may have turned humans into long-distance runners
Researchers have discovered hundreds of historical accounts of humans hunting prey by chasing them down over long distances, which some believe is why we evolved our unique talent for endurance running......»»
Spiny legged 308-million-year-old arachnid discovered in the Mazon Creek locality
More than 300 million years ago, all sorts of arachnids crawled around the Carboniferous coal forests of North America and Europe. These included familiar ones we'd recognize, such as spiders, harvestmen and scorpions—as well as exotic animals that.....»»
Sea otter study finds tool use allows access to larger prey, reduces tooth damage
Sea otters are one of the few animals that use tools to access their food, and a new study has found that individual sea otters that use tools—most of whom are female—are able to eat larger prey and reduce tooth damage when their preferred prey b.....»»
A spider silk sound system: Webs match acoustic particle velocity for long-distance sound detection
The best microphone in the world might have an unexpected source: spider silk. Spiders weave webs to trap their insect snacks, but the sticky strands also help spiders hear......»»
Researchers uncover how jelly sea creatures might shape modern robotics
Scientists at the University of Oregon have discovered that colonies of gelatinous sea animals swim through the ocean in giant corkscrew shapes using coordinated jet propulsion, an unusual kind of locomotion that could inspire new designs for efficie.....»»
Tiger beetles fight off bat attacks with ultrasonic mimicry
Bats, as the main predator of night-flying insects, create a selective pressure that has led many of their prey to evolve an early warning system of sorts: ears uniquely tuned to high-frequency bat echolocation. To date, scientists have found at leas.....»»
New candidate genes for human male infertility found by analyzing gorillas" unusual reproductive system
Despite their formidable bodies, male gorillas are lacking in one particular area of their anatomy......»»
Discovery of the first ancestors of scorpions, spiders and horseshoe crabs
Who were the earliest ancestors of scorpions, spiders and horseshoe crabs? A Ph.D. student from the University of Lausanne (Switzerland), with the support of a CNRS researcher, has identified a fossil that fills the gap between modern species and tho.....»»
Dice snakes found to use a variety of techniques to more effectively fake their own deaths
A pair of biologists at the University of Belgrade, in Serbia, has found that dice snakes use a variety of techniques to fool predators into believing they have died. In their paper published in the journal Biology Letters, Vukašin Bjelica and Ana G.....»»
How Not to Get Brain-Eating Worms and Mercury Poisoning
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had both a brain parasite and mercury poisoning at the same time. Just how rare is each condition?.....»»
Eating the way we do hurts us and the planet, Canadian study finds
In an age of abundance and variety in food options, are Canadians eating better than they were half a century ago? According to a recent paper by researchers at McGill University and the International Food Policy Research Institute, those relying on.....»»
Collecting live snakes in remote Amazon regions for study is no easy task—here"s how we do it
Brazil records an average of 29,000 snakebites a year, leading to around 130 deaths. And it is in the Amazon that the greatest number of cases occur. This region is home to 38 of the 75 species of venomous snakes recorded in Brazil......»»
First mother-daughter burial from Roman times in Austria discovered
When a grave was discovered in Wels 20 years ago, the find was thought to be an early medieval double burial of a married couple and a horse due to its unusual features. Only now could the biological gender and family relationships of those buried be.....»»
Weak magnetic field may have supported diversification of life on Earth
An unusual reduction in the strength of Earth's magnetic field between 591 and 565 million years ago coincided with a significant increase in the oxygen levels in the atmosphere and oceans, according to a paper published in Communications Earth & Env.....»»
Sourdough under the microscope reveals microbes cultivated over generations
Sourdough is the oldest kind of leavened bread in recorded history, and people have been eating it for thousands of years. The components of creating a sourdough starter are very simple—flour and water. Mixing them produces a live culture where yea.....»»
iPad at war: How the iPad is crucial to the Ukraine war effort
The iPad is being used for an unusual purpose in the Ukraine-Russia conflict — they're helping the Ukraine Air Force use modern weapons on older fighter jets.An iPad in a jet [X/OSINTtechnical]One of the problems of using older vehicles in war is t.....»»
Tidal disruption event ASASSN-19bt experiences unusual radio evolution, observations show
An international team of astronomers has conducted detailed radio and X-ray observations of a tidal disruption event (TDE) designated ASASSN-19bt. Results of the observational campaign, presented April 18 on the pre-print server arXiv, shed more ligh.....»»
Orion"s erupting star system reveals its secrets
An unusual group of stars in the Orion constellation have revealed their secrets. FU Orionis, a double star system, first caught astronomers' attention in 1936 when the central star suddenly became 1,000 times brighter than usual. This behavior, expe.....»»