Why do furry animals do the “wet dog shake?”
Researchers found mice have special neurons that sense disturbances to their fur, causing them to shake and groom themselves when wet.
Category: Ecology
When did the Galápagos tortoises become giant?
Researchers analyzed new fossils from Ecuador that suggested the ancestors of Galápagos giant tortoises inhabited northern South America…
How will the melting Greenland Ice Sheet affect ocean currents?
Researchers found the melting Greenland Ice Sheet is releasing tons of icebergs into the North Atlantic Ocean that could further disrupt…
Fruit flies use diverse senses to sniff out their surroundings
Scientists found cosmopolitan fruit flies have different genes for smelling and tasting that help them adapt to diverse habitats.
Fig trees interbreed more at their climate extremes
Scientists tracked how fig trees interbreed and swap DNA across different climatic zones to determine where new species might arise.
A trilobite’s last supper
Paleontologists described a trilobite fossil preserved in 3D with its gut contents intact.
Researchers created hybrid monkeys from stem cells
Scientists in China made live monkey hybrids using cells from embryos, to help them study how animals heal and reproduce.
Scientists described a couch potato cave salamander called the olm
Researchers tracked a species of large cave salamanders for several years to see how they survived their low-energy surroundings. It turns…
Dolphins have special whistles for their young
Researchers found bottlenose dolphins modify the pitch and range of whistles when communicating with their calves, similar to how humans…
Northern elephant seals sleep in a deep diving spiral
Scientists tracked the brain activity of northern elephant seals to find out how they sleep. They found the seals sleep only 2 hours per day…