Science & Research
Presents the latest studies, findings, and innovations related to animals, their behavior, cognition, health, and the environment.
These scientific discoveries brought us joy in 2025
Amidst a tough year for science, glimmers of joy burst through in revelations from the silly to the sublime.
We are living in a golden age of species discovery
The search for life on Earth is speeding up, not slowing down. Scientists are now identifying more than 16,000 new species each year, revealing far more biodiversity than expected across animals, plants, fungi, and beyond. Many species remain undiscovered, especially insects and microbes, and future advances could unlock millions more. Each new find also opens doors to conservation and medical breakthroughs.
The evolutionary case for a little roughhousing
Wolf pups at play at Zoo Académie, a zoo and training facility in Nicolet, Quebec, in 2017. Scientists are finding that rough play is important for animals and humans alike.
Ancient DNA rewrites the tale of when and how cats left Africa
Like a toy on a string, the timing of cat domestication has been a moving target. Now researchers have pounced on a new timeline suggesting that tame descendants of African wildcats left the continent more recently than thought.
Newly discovered mantis species dances like a snake to avoid death after sex
The snake-tail mantis shows there’s more to these insects than just cannibalism. This male snake-tail mantis, Ameles serpentiscauda , has three simple eyes (ocelli) visible between its antennae, which mantises usually use during night flights to navigate using starlight.
Covid 2020: The year of the quiet ocean
The data gathered as part of the IQOE, during New Zealand's shipping ban of 2020, indicated even small changes in vessel activity can greatly affect underwater sound – showing how noise from small boats, as well as large ships, can limit how marine animals hear and communicate.
These Bald Eagles fly the wrong way every year and stun scientists
Birds of a feather do not always flock together, despite the adage. A new study in the Journal of Raptor Research describes how Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) from Arizona are making unusual journeys by flying north instead of south, unlike most migratory birds in temperate regions.
Huge relatives of white sharks lived earlier than thought
Some 115 million years ago, a veritable fleet of giant predators prowled the waters near Australia. There were long-necked plesiosaurs, snaggletoothed pliosaurs with massive heads, dolphinlike ichthyosaurs, and now — suggests new fossil findings — 8-meter-long sharks.
These scientific discoveries brought us joy in 2025
Amidst a tough year for science, glimmers of joy burst through in revelations from the silly to the sublime.
We are living in a golden age of species discovery
The search for life on Earth is speeding up, not slowing down. Scientists are now identifying more than 16,000 new species each year, revealing far more biodiversity than expected across animals, plants, fungi, and beyond. Many species remain undiscovered, especially insects and microbes, and future advances could unlock millions more. Each new find also opens doors to conservation and medical breakthroughs.
The evolutionary case for a little roughhousing
Wolf pups at play at Zoo Académie, a zoo and training facility in Nicolet, Quebec, in 2017. Scientists are finding that rough play is important for animals and humans alike.
Ancient DNA rewrites the tale of when and how cats left Africa
Like a toy on a string, the timing of cat domestication has been a moving target. Now researchers have pounced on a new timeline suggesting that tame descendants of African wildcats left the continent more recently than thought.
Newly discovered mantis species dances like a snake to avoid death after sex
The snake-tail mantis shows there’s more to these insects than just cannibalism. This male snake-tail mantis, Ameles serpentiscauda , has three simple eyes (ocelli) visible between its antennae, which mantises usually use during night flights to navigate using starlight.
Covid 2020: The year of the quiet ocean
The data gathered as part of the IQOE, during New Zealand's shipping ban of 2020, indicated even small changes in vessel activity can greatly affect underwater sound – showing how noise from small boats, as well as large ships, can limit how marine animals hear and communicate.
These Bald Eagles fly the wrong way every year and stun scientists
Birds of a feather do not always flock together, despite the adage. A new study in the Journal of Raptor Research describes how Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) from Arizona are making unusual journeys by flying north instead of south, unlike most migratory birds in temperate regions.
Huge relatives of white sharks lived earlier than thought
Some 115 million years ago, a veritable fleet of giant predators prowled the waters near Australia. There were long-necked plesiosaurs, snaggletoothed pliosaurs with massive heads, dolphinlike ichthyosaurs, and now — suggests new fossil findings — 8-meter-long sharks.
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