Science News
Science News
Articles from Science News
sciencenews.orgHere’s how honeyeaters and other birds thrive on sugary diets
To eat a sugar-filled diet, birds had to evolve some sweet genetic tricks. Birds that feed on nectar and fruits have important variants in genes that control metabolism , fat processing and even blood pressure.
Climate change could threaten monarch mass migration
Suitable milkweed habitat in Mexico may shift south, fracturing existing migration routes and possibly pushing some butterflies to stay put.
Keeping a beat wins caterpillars friends in low places
Some caterpillars speak ant by rocking to a beat. By jiggling like a cellphone receiving a call while on vibrate, the caterpillars cozy up to ants, reaping benefits for them both .
An African monkey ate a rope squirrel and came down with mpox
A monkey making a meal of a squirrel may have sparked an outbreak. In early 2023, mpox broke out among a group of a few dozen sooty mangabeys ( Cercocebus atys ) living in Côte d’Ivoire’s Taï National Park.
This itch-triggering protein also sends signals to stop scratching
People who can’t stop scratching itches may finally have a culprit to blame. In mice (and probably people), a protein called TRPV4 is involved both in starting an itch and stopping it after scratching, says neuroscientist Roberta Gualdani.
A mouth built for efficiency may have helped the earliest bird fly
About 150 million years ago, in a coastal lagoon in what is now southern Germany, the oldest known bird gobbled up food with a beak built for efficient eating.
Some dog breeds carry a higher risk of breathing problems
Research reveals more short-snouted dogs besides pugs and bulldogs that struggle with breathing. Pekingese and Japanese Chins topped the study's list.
How tracking golden eagles in Nevada revealed a desert ‘death vortex’
Golden eagles in Nevada are dying at an alarming rate, and no one can pinpoint the cause. Their carcasses litter the landscape in Dry Lake Valley, a bone-white stretch of parched earth north of Las Vegas that was a breeding ground for golden eagles, the largest bird of prey in North America.
Regeneration of fins and limbs relies on a shared cellular playbook
In the 2012 movie The Amazing Spider-Man , a key character regrows his missing arm by imbibing reptilian DNA — but then turns into a monster lizard that Spider-Man must foil.
Some snakes lack the ‘hunger hormone.’ Experts are hungry to know why
The gene for ghrelin is missing in serpents, yet present in other fasting reptiles.
A sea turtle boom may be hiding a population collapse
Around the world, many conservationists are celebrating increases in sea turtle population growth. Cape Verde in West Africa now has 100 times as many loggerhead turtle nests each year as there were in 2008.
A bonobo’s imaginary tea party suggests apes can play pretend
Humans may not be the only primates with the power to imagine. During a make-believe tea party, a bonobo named Kanzi kept track of invisible juice and imaginary grapes, researchers report.
Some dung beetles dig deep to keep their eggs cool
A temperate tunneling species of dung beetle seems capable of adapting to climate change, but their tropical cousins may be less resilient.
These beetle larvae lure in bees by mimicking flowers
Like wily perfumers, a parasitic beetle’s larvae create floral aromas to lure in bees. Plants are known to cosplay as animals, but this rare discovery could be the first known example of an animal chemically mimicking a plant.
Canadian humpback whales thrive with a little help from their friends
For one population of whales, teamwork makes the dream work. Decades after commercial whaling nearly drove them to extinction, a feeding behavior known as bubble netting is helping a group of humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) in Canada recover.
Spider silk-making organs evolved due to a 400-million-year-old genetic oops
Spiders’ ability to spin webs may be one consequence of a really big genetic mistake. A close look at the genetics and development of spinnerets — spiders’ silk-making organs — reveals that an early arachnid doubled all of its DNA hundreds of millions of years ago.
Some vaccines are making progress in protecting vulnerable species
Southern elephant seal pups were among the first to die when a deadly strain of avian influenza arrived in the Crozet Islands in 2024. But as the virus spread across the sub-Antarctic archipelago, a handful of penguin chicks had a potential advantage: They’d gotten a flu shot.
How Greenland sharks defy aging
Greenland sharks are spilling new secrets about antiaging. In the deep, dark waters of the Arctic and North Atlantic, these ghostly giants — which can live for centuries — have hit upon a few tricks for surviving long-term.
Animals experience joy. Scientists want to measure it
Scientists have long focused on quantifying fear and other negative emotions in animals. Now they’re trying to measure positive feelings — and it’s a challenge.
There’s life beneath the snow, but it’s at risk of melting away
An array of animals and plants survive winter in the subnivium, nature’s igloo. But climate change is threatening this hidden seasonal ecosystem.
This tool-using cow defies expectations for bovine braininess
Veronika the cow uses a brush as a tool to scratch herself, revealing rare problem-solving skills and expanding what we know of tool use in animals.
This fish may play a hole in its head like a drum
For the rockhead poacher, the noises are all in its head. The fish is a pint-size, unassuming inhabitant of nearshore shallows, but it has a conspicuous divot in the top of its skull that appears to work like a drum.
Animal personalities can play a big role in saving species
From bold foxes to gregarious birds, animals’ personalities are increasingly being seen as crucial to conservation efforts.
How cheetah mummies could help bring the species back to Arabia
The fastest land animal on the planet lies frozen in time beneath blistering desert sands. Researchers have discovered dozens of ancient cheetah skeletons and dehydrated bodies preserved in caves on the Arabian Peninsula, where the species hasn’t been spotted for decades.
Among chimpanzees, thrill-seeking peaks in toddlerhood
In humans, teens do the most dangerous things. In chimpanzees, that honor goes to toddlers. The difference may lie in caregiver supervision.
Here’s how honeyeaters and other birds thrive on sugary diets
To eat a sugar-filled diet, birds had to evolve some sweet genetic tricks. Birds that feed on nectar and fruits have important variants in genes that control metabolism , fat processing and even blood pressure.
Climate change could threaten monarch mass migration
Suitable milkweed habitat in Mexico may shift south, fracturing existing migration routes and possibly pushing some butterflies to stay put.
Keeping a beat wins caterpillars friends in low places
Some caterpillars speak ant by rocking to a beat. By jiggling like a cellphone receiving a call while on vibrate, the caterpillars cozy up to ants, reaping benefits for them both .
An African monkey ate a rope squirrel and came down with mpox
A monkey making a meal of a squirrel may have sparked an outbreak. In early 2023, mpox broke out among a group of a few dozen sooty mangabeys ( Cercocebus atys ) living in Côte d’Ivoire’s Taï National Park.
This itch-triggering protein also sends signals to stop scratching
People who can’t stop scratching itches may finally have a culprit to blame. In mice (and probably people), a protein called TRPV4 is involved both in starting an itch and stopping it after scratching, says neuroscientist Roberta Gualdani.
A mouth built for efficiency may have helped the earliest bird fly
About 150 million years ago, in a coastal lagoon in what is now southern Germany, the oldest known bird gobbled up food with a beak built for efficient eating.
Some dog breeds carry a higher risk of breathing problems
Research reveals more short-snouted dogs besides pugs and bulldogs that struggle with breathing. Pekingese and Japanese Chins topped the study's list.
How tracking golden eagles in Nevada revealed a desert ‘death vortex’
Golden eagles in Nevada are dying at an alarming rate, and no one can pinpoint the cause. Their carcasses litter the landscape in Dry Lake Valley, a bone-white stretch of parched earth north of Las Vegas that was a breeding ground for golden eagles, the largest bird of prey in North America.
Regeneration of fins and limbs relies on a shared cellular playbook
In the 2012 movie The Amazing Spider-Man , a key character regrows his missing arm by imbibing reptilian DNA — but then turns into a monster lizard that Spider-Man must foil.
Some snakes lack the ‘hunger hormone.’ Experts are hungry to know why
The gene for ghrelin is missing in serpents, yet present in other fasting reptiles.
A sea turtle boom may be hiding a population collapse
Around the world, many conservationists are celebrating increases in sea turtle population growth. Cape Verde in West Africa now has 100 times as many loggerhead turtle nests each year as there were in 2008.
A bonobo’s imaginary tea party suggests apes can play pretend
Humans may not be the only primates with the power to imagine. During a make-believe tea party, a bonobo named Kanzi kept track of invisible juice and imaginary grapes, researchers report.
Some dung beetles dig deep to keep their eggs cool
A temperate tunneling species of dung beetle seems capable of adapting to climate change, but their tropical cousins may be less resilient.
These beetle larvae lure in bees by mimicking flowers
Like wily perfumers, a parasitic beetle’s larvae create floral aromas to lure in bees. Plants are known to cosplay as animals, but this rare discovery could be the first known example of an animal chemically mimicking a plant.
Canadian humpback whales thrive with a little help from their friends
For one population of whales, teamwork makes the dream work. Decades after commercial whaling nearly drove them to extinction, a feeding behavior known as bubble netting is helping a group of humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) in Canada recover.
Spider silk-making organs evolved due to a 400-million-year-old genetic oops
Spiders’ ability to spin webs may be one consequence of a really big genetic mistake. A close look at the genetics and development of spinnerets — spiders’ silk-making organs — reveals that an early arachnid doubled all of its DNA hundreds of millions of years ago.
Some vaccines are making progress in protecting vulnerable species
Southern elephant seal pups were among the first to die when a deadly strain of avian influenza arrived in the Crozet Islands in 2024. But as the virus spread across the sub-Antarctic archipelago, a handful of penguin chicks had a potential advantage: They’d gotten a flu shot.
How Greenland sharks defy aging
Greenland sharks are spilling new secrets about antiaging. In the deep, dark waters of the Arctic and North Atlantic, these ghostly giants — which can live for centuries — have hit upon a few tricks for surviving long-term.
Animals experience joy. Scientists want to measure it
Scientists have long focused on quantifying fear and other negative emotions in animals. Now they’re trying to measure positive feelings — and it’s a challenge.
There’s life beneath the snow, but it’s at risk of melting away
An array of animals and plants survive winter in the subnivium, nature’s igloo. But climate change is threatening this hidden seasonal ecosystem.
This tool-using cow defies expectations for bovine braininess
Veronika the cow uses a brush as a tool to scratch herself, revealing rare problem-solving skills and expanding what we know of tool use in animals.
This fish may play a hole in its head like a drum
For the rockhead poacher, the noises are all in its head. The fish is a pint-size, unassuming inhabitant of nearshore shallows, but it has a conspicuous divot in the top of its skull that appears to work like a drum.
Animal personalities can play a big role in saving species
From bold foxes to gregarious birds, animals’ personalities are increasingly being seen as crucial to conservation efforts.
How cheetah mummies could help bring the species back to Arabia
The fastest land animal on the planet lies frozen in time beneath blistering desert sands. Researchers have discovered dozens of ancient cheetah skeletons and dehydrated bodies preserved in caves on the Arabian Peninsula, where the species hasn’t been spotted for decades.
Among chimpanzees, thrill-seeking peaks in toddlerhood
In humans, teens do the most dangerous things. In chimpanzees, that honor goes to toddlers. The difference may lie in caregiver supervision.
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