Science News Explores
Science News Explores
Articles from Science News Explores
snexplores.orgAnimals can feel joy. Here’s how scientists might study it
Positive emotions are finally getting a closer look after decades of focus on negative ones.
This tool-using cow stunned scientists with her smarts
Veronika the cow scratches hard-to-reach body parts using a brush. This feat is forcing scientists to rethink which animals can use tools.
Flat-faced dogs often struggle to breathe easy
Pugs and bulldogs aren’t the only dogs with breathing problems. Pekingese, Japanese chins and other squish-faced breeds have this issue, too.
Leafhoppers' invisibility inspires next-gen cloaking tech
Engineers are borrowing this insect’s trick, an "invisibility cloak" of anti-reflective spheres. It could lead to new clean energy tech or military gear.
Human-built ‘beaver’ dams help save struggling streams
One warm morning in the summer of 2025, the Beaver Brigade marched into Bernheim Forest. This woodland spans more than 16,000 acres (6,475 hectares) in north-central Kentucky. Every other month, volunteer brigade members hike in to make it more beaver-friendly.
Platypuses are super weird. Here are 5 reasons why
However weird platypuses look — they get weirder. Platypuses have several weird features, from laying eggs to glowing under UV light. Check out some of this iconic mammal's oddest traits.
A bonobo’s imaginary tea party hints that apes can pretend
Kanzi would sometimes play with imaginary juice and grapes, just as humans might. The bonobo's ability challenges old ideas about how animals think.
Let’s learn about animals that can regrow body parts
Animals that regenerate limbs, eyes and other body parts may hold clues to superhuman healing.
Analyze This: Primates may have evolved in the cold
Scientists thought the ancestor of humans and apes lived in the tropics. A new study points to a chilly location instead for primate evolution.
Brazilian tamarins offer lessons on how to return species to the wild
Efforts included letting the monkeys roam free in urban U.S. parks. Restoring natural behaviors was key to golden lion tamarins' survival in the wild.
Animals’ personalities can affect a species’ survival
From bold foxes to shy parrots, animals’ personalities are increasingly being seen as key to saving species.
As toddlers, chimps are major risk takers
Human kiddos are generally too closely supervised to be able to monkey around as much as young chimps. Instead, older kids — teens — are usually the bigger risk takers.
Lions have a second roar that scientists have only just discovered
A closer listen may help researchers figure out where these big cats are under threat.
Chicago’s Rat Hole? Science concludes it’s likely not from a rat
Researchers analyzed this iconic sidewalk critter crater using tools of paleontology.
RNA from mummified woolly mammoth is the oldest ever recovered
Genetic details from the animal, named Yuka, give a snapshot into its last moments alive.
Radioactive animals don’t glow — but do show the power of radiation
Wild species exposed to nuclear contamination help show how radiation affects living things — including its risks to people.
Some Antarctic fish arrange their nests into odd shapes
Scientists found nests organized into curves, clusters and ovals on the Antarctic seabed. Such groupings may protect the fish eggs from predators.
Woodpeckers grunt like tennis players when they peck
Muscle movements and breathing team up to give these birds their iconic hammering motion
Polar bears leave thousands of tons of food scraps for other species
As these bears decline, Arctic scavengers could lose a critical food source, new data show.
Let’s learn about lab-grown meat
Lab-grown meat may still be several years away from your local grocery. But such alternatives to farmed or free-range meats are on their way.
Flamingos hunt by creating their own underwater tornadoes
Chilean flamingos use their beaks and feet to create underwater whirlpools that suck in prey.
Beware the vipers: These snakes appear to strike the fastest
Some vipers are the sprinters of snakes. Researchers compared 36 venomous snakes from three families. Vipers wielded the fastest attacks. Some members of one of the other families could give slower vipers stiff competition.
Rudolph’s red nose could glow through bioluminescence
But thanks to physics, his snout might appear different colors to observers on the ground
Award-winning micro-photos depict stunning details of nature
From fluorescent ferns to sprawling neurons, photos in the 2025 Nikon Small World contest showcased the artistry of life as seen through a microscope.
Scientists Say: Kleptotrichy
Based on the Greek words for theft and hair, kleptotrichy is a more common bird behavior than people thought.
Animals can feel joy. Here’s how scientists might study it
Positive emotions are finally getting a closer look after decades of focus on negative ones.
This tool-using cow stunned scientists with her smarts
Veronika the cow scratches hard-to-reach body parts using a brush. This feat is forcing scientists to rethink which animals can use tools.
Flat-faced dogs often struggle to breathe easy
Pugs and bulldogs aren’t the only dogs with breathing problems. Pekingese, Japanese chins and other squish-faced breeds have this issue, too.
Leafhoppers' invisibility inspires next-gen cloaking tech
Engineers are borrowing this insect’s trick, an "invisibility cloak" of anti-reflective spheres. It could lead to new clean energy tech or military gear.
Human-built ‘beaver’ dams help save struggling streams
One warm morning in the summer of 2025, the Beaver Brigade marched into Bernheim Forest. This woodland spans more than 16,000 acres (6,475 hectares) in north-central Kentucky. Every other month, volunteer brigade members hike in to make it more beaver-friendly.
Platypuses are super weird. Here are 5 reasons why
However weird platypuses look — they get weirder. Platypuses have several weird features, from laying eggs to glowing under UV light. Check out some of this iconic mammal's oddest traits.
A bonobo’s imaginary tea party hints that apes can pretend
Kanzi would sometimes play with imaginary juice and grapes, just as humans might. The bonobo's ability challenges old ideas about how animals think.
Let’s learn about animals that can regrow body parts
Animals that regenerate limbs, eyes and other body parts may hold clues to superhuman healing.
Analyze This: Primates may have evolved in the cold
Scientists thought the ancestor of humans and apes lived in the tropics. A new study points to a chilly location instead for primate evolution.
Brazilian tamarins offer lessons on how to return species to the wild
Efforts included letting the monkeys roam free in urban U.S. parks. Restoring natural behaviors was key to golden lion tamarins' survival in the wild.
Animals’ personalities can affect a species’ survival
From bold foxes to shy parrots, animals’ personalities are increasingly being seen as key to saving species.
As toddlers, chimps are major risk takers
Human kiddos are generally too closely supervised to be able to monkey around as much as young chimps. Instead, older kids — teens — are usually the bigger risk takers.
Lions have a second roar that scientists have only just discovered
A closer listen may help researchers figure out where these big cats are under threat.
Chicago’s Rat Hole? Science concludes it’s likely not from a rat
Researchers analyzed this iconic sidewalk critter crater using tools of paleontology.
RNA from mummified woolly mammoth is the oldest ever recovered
Genetic details from the animal, named Yuka, give a snapshot into its last moments alive.
Radioactive animals don’t glow — but do show the power of radiation
Wild species exposed to nuclear contamination help show how radiation affects living things — including its risks to people.
Some Antarctic fish arrange their nests into odd shapes
Scientists found nests organized into curves, clusters and ovals on the Antarctic seabed. Such groupings may protect the fish eggs from predators.
Woodpeckers grunt like tennis players when they peck
Muscle movements and breathing team up to give these birds their iconic hammering motion
Polar bears leave thousands of tons of food scraps for other species
As these bears decline, Arctic scavengers could lose a critical food source, new data show.
Let’s learn about lab-grown meat
Lab-grown meat may still be several years away from your local grocery. But such alternatives to farmed or free-range meats are on their way.
Flamingos hunt by creating their own underwater tornadoes
Chilean flamingos use their beaks and feet to create underwater whirlpools that suck in prey.
Beware the vipers: These snakes appear to strike the fastest
Some vipers are the sprinters of snakes. Researchers compared 36 venomous snakes from three families. Vipers wielded the fastest attacks. Some members of one of the other families could give slower vipers stiff competition.
Rudolph’s red nose could glow through bioluminescence
But thanks to physics, his snout might appear different colors to observers on the ground
Award-winning micro-photos depict stunning details of nature
From fluorescent ferns to sprawling neurons, photos in the 2025 Nikon Small World contest showcased the artistry of life as seen through a microscope.
Scientists Say: Kleptotrichy
Based on the Greek words for theft and hair, kleptotrichy is a more common bird behavior than people thought.
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