Laurel Hamers

All Stories by Laurel Hamers

  1. Microbes

    Mouth germs team up to boost disease risk

    The oxygen given off by harmless mouth bacteria can help disease-causing invaders grow strong and flourish.

  2. Agriculture

    Sneaky! Virus sickens plants, but helps them multiply

    The cucumber mosaic virus helps tomato plants lure pollinators. When the plants multiply, the virus now gets new hosts.

  3. Plants

    Young sunflowers keep time

    The plants don’t just use light to follow the sun. An internal clock helps their stems bend as the sun moves across the sky.

  4. Genetics

    Wolf species shake-up

    A genetic study says red wolves and eastern wolves may really be mixtures of coyotes and gray wolves, not distinct species.

  5. Animals

    Frigate birds spend months without landing

    Frigate birds can fly non-stop for months. They stay in the air with the help of upward-moving airflows, a new study finds.