Biology

Dec 20th, 2024 - How does a barn owl, with its striking white plumage, vanish seamlessly against a night sky? A recent study conducted by a team of biology and optics researchers from various Spanish institutions unveils the intriguing secrets behind the barn owl's stealthy hunting strategies. The findings reveal how the barn owl's distinctive white underbelly and face help it remain nearly invisible to its prey under moonlit and starlit skies. Barn owls are skilled hunters Barn owls, scientifically known ... [Read More]

Dec 20th, 2024 - We named him Squirt – not because he was the smallest of the 16 cuttlefish in the pool, but because anyone with the audacity to scoop him into a separate tank to study him was likely to get soaked. Squirt had notoriously accurate aim. As a comparative psychologist , I'm used to assaults from my experimental subjects. I've been stung by bees, pinched by crayfish and battered by indignant pigeons. But, somehow, with Squirt it felt different. As he eyed us with his W-shaped pupils , he ... [Read More]

Dec 20th, 2024 - West coast states are spending millions to protect their inland waterways from invasive crabs. In some places, otters are just eating them. SAN FRANCISCO – A California ecosystem has gotten a big boost from an adorable, fluffy and hungry friend. At Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve , a newly-reinvigorated population of native southern sea otters has eaten so many invasive European green crabs that researchers say the otters have locally solved a problem that has plagued ... [Read More]

Dec 20th, 2024 - Southern right whales have lifespans that reach well past 100 years, and 10% may live past 130 years, according to our new research published in the journal Science Advances . Some of these whales may live to 150. This lifespan is almost double the 70-80 years they are conventionally believed to live. North Atlantic right whales were also thought to have a maximum lifespan of about 70 years . We found, however, that this critically endangered species' current average lifespan is only 22 years, ... [Read More]

Dec 20th, 2024 - Sloths weren't always slow-moving, furry tree-dwellers. Their prehistoric ancestors were huge - up to 4 tons - and when startled, they brandished immense claws.   For a long time, scientists believed the first humans to arrive in the Americas soon killed off these giant ground sloths through hunting, along with many other massive animals like mastodons , saber-toothed cats and dire wolves that once roamed North and South America. But new research from several sites is starting to suggest ... [Read More]

Dec 20th, 2024 - Scientists surprised to find so many animals unknown to science in Alto Mayo, a well-populated region Researchers in the Alto Mayo region of north-west Peru have discovered 27 species that are new to science, including a rare amphibious mouse, a tree-climbing salamander and an unusual "blob-headed fish". The 38-day survey recorded more than 2,000 species of wildlife and plants. The findings are particularly surprising given the region's high human population density, with significant pressures ... [Read More]

Dec 20th, 2024 - The name alone advertises that this insect is no joke: When the murder hornet was first spotted in the North American continent in 2019, entomologists were abuzz with worry and sprang into action to eradicate the invasive species. Five years later—and after four nests were successfully destroyed—officials have declared a rare victory against the murder hornets for having exterminated them from United States soil. "I've gotta tell you, as an entomologist—I've been doing this ... [Read More]

Dec 20th, 2024 - The lizard species, one of the world's largest, is native to Australia and is rarely seen outside that country Two new baby lizards have hatched at the Los Angeles zoo, the first of their species to be bred there, zoo officials said on Thursday. Perentie lizards, or Varanus giganteus , are native to Australia and are among the world's largest lizards, dwarfed only by the Komodo dragon and a few others. "It is incredibly rewarding for our team to experience success breeding this species," zoo ... [Read More]

Dec 19th, 2024 - Monarch butterflies are among the most beloved insects in North America. They are brightly colored and unique, both as caterpillars and later as mature insects. Monarchs are found in every U.S. state except Alaska , so nearly everyone has seen a monarch flutter by on a warm day. During their incredible yearly migration, monarchs travel each fall to a few forested areas in central Mexico and coastal California to overwinter. These are special places, cool enough that butterflies don't burn too ... [Read More]

Dec 19th, 2024 - Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more . Before dinosaurs walked the Earth and tens of millions of years before the first mammals appeared, distant mammal relatives with long, serrated canine teeth were the dominant carnivores on land. Called gorgonopsians, the earliest animals in this lineage have long been missing from the fossil record. But the discovery of a newly identified gorgonopsian ... [Read More]

Dec 18th, 2024 - Covering over 70% of Earth's surface, the oceans are home to countless life forms that maintain ecological balance and support human well-being. Among these, brown algae (Phaeophyceae) play a crucial role in sustaining coastal habitats, supporting marine biodiversity, and combating climate change through carbon capture. While they have long captured the interest of the scientific world, the genomic and evolutionary history of these organisms has remained largely unexplored. A study by ... [Read More]

Dec 18th, 2024 - Warning: This story contains graphic images that may upset some readers. Traditionally known for stuffing their cheeks with nuts, squirrels can be carnivorous — though recorded instances of the rodents hunting and killing other live vertebrates are rare, with few species known to have done so. Now, scientists have found unprecedented evidence of another type of squirrel exhibiting carnivorous behaviors, including hunting, killing and eating voles, according to a new study. The research, ... [Read More]

Dec 18th, 2024 - A "strange" prehistoric plant species is the lone representative of a mysterious group of organisms that no longer exists, scientists have discovered. The first evidence of the species—in the form of fossilized leaves—came to light in eastern Utah in 1969. At the time, researchers believed that the plant belonged to the ginseng family, known scientifically as Araliaceae. But a recent assessment of a 47-million-year-old fossil collected from the same area of Utah, which appears to ... [Read More]

Dec 17th, 2024 - By Newborn humpback whales can measure more than 15 feet from nose to tail fluke and weigh as much as full-grown giraffes. But these hefty calves still need to pack on the pounds quickly to reach their parents' even more prodigious proportions. Each day, a humpback calf guzzles hundreds of liters of its mother's milk, which is as thick as toothpaste and loaded with fats. And just like a human baby shows off its impressive lung capacity when hungry, a baby humpback whale with a hankering for ... [Read More]

Dec 17th, 2024 - The order '"Primates" includes over 450 species of monkeys, lemurs, lorises, and galagos, in addition to our closest relatives, the seven species of great apes. From 400-pound gorillas to minute mouse lemurs ( Microcebus ) that can weigh a single ounce, primates showcase incredible diversity. They also display remarkable behaviors. For example, chimpanzees use sticks to fish for termites, while orangutans use leaves as gloves to handle spiky durian fruits. Building a timetree for ... [Read More]

Dec 17th, 2024 - By A t 4:30 on a chilly morning in Australia, headlights burned through a dark forest in central Woodford, a small rural town 50 miles north of Brisbane, Queensland. Hundreds of flying foxes—magnificent fruit-eating bats with big eyes, fluffy coats, and a wingspan nearly that of an eagle—had just returned from foraging and dangled on tree branches like gigantic Christmas ornaments. Below them, rather incongruously, a large plastic sheet covered the ground. It had been placed there ... [Read More]