Animals

Science & Society

#BlackBirdersWeek seeks to open the outdoors for everyone

The social media campaign #BlackBirdersWeek hopes to show the world the many black birders and nature lovers of color.

Animals

Why elephants and armadillos might easily get drunk

Stories of drunken elephants may not be a myth. Differences in a gene for breaking down alcohol could explain how they get tipsy.

Animals

When prey get scarce, these jellies become cannibals

Invasive comb jellies may feast on their larvae if massive population booms in summer deplete their prey.

Animals

Traces from nuclear-weapons tests offer clues to whale sharks’ ages

Traces left by nuclear-bomb testing in the 1950s and ‘60s can help researchers learn how old a whale shark is.

Animals

Let’s learn about domestic cats

Cats rule the internet — and many of our homes. To get here was a journey of many thousands of years.

Environment

Pesticides can have long-term impact on bumblebee learning

Pesticide-laced nectar and pollen can permanently harm the brains of baby bumblebees.

Animals

Minecraft’s big bees don’t exist, but giant insects once did

Big bees buzz in Minecraft. In our world, blocky bees might starve and be stuck on the ground. Yet long ago, giant insects did roam our planet.

Animals

Mice show their feelings on their faces

Pleasure, pain, fear and disgust — all can show on a mouse’s face. As computational analyses show, you just need to know what to look for.

Health & Medicine

How to find the next pandemic virus before it finds us

Wild animals carry viruses that can sicken people. Monitoring those viral hosts that pose the greatest risk might help prevent a new pandemic.

Animals

Lots of frogs and salamanders have a secret glow

A widespread ability to glow in brilliant colors could make amphibians easier to track down in the wild.

Animals

Scientists Say: Echolocation

This word describes a method that some animals use to sense their environments by making sounds and listening for their echoes.

Animals

Let’s learn about the creepy crawlies in your home

From ants to spiders to crickets to bed bugs — a whole host of insects and other arthropods may be hanging out with you at home.