Andros, Bahamas – Great hammerhead sharks, renowned for their impressive long-distance migrations across oceans, seemingly have a stay-at-home contingent in the Bahamas. Scientists are now exploring a surprising reason why some of these critically endangered giants embark on epic journeys while others happily remain in the protected, food-rich waters of this island nation: their taste … Read more
In a fascinating – and somewhat unsettling – discovery, urban birds in Amsterdam have been turning human cast-offs into cozy homes for decades. Biologist Auke-Florian Hiemstra and his colleagues at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center have unearthed compelling evidence that common coots in the Dutch capital have been incorporating plastic waste into their nests for at … Read more
One of the most important problems regarding the origins of life may be resolved by a recent study conducted by experts at the University of California, San Diego: how the earliest cell membranes developed on Earth billions of years ago. The study, which was published in Nature Chemistry, explains how lipid membranes, which are essential … Read more
New research has shown that plants may not be as silent as we thought. When in distress, plants make faint popping or clicking sounds at ultrasonic frequencies—far beyond what human ears can hear. These sounds increase when the plant is stressed, which could be one way plants communicate their distress to the world. In a … Read more
Vitamin D plays a crucial role in keeping us healthy, and recent research shows that a deficiency in this vitamin during early life might cause lasting problems with the immune system. Scientists from McGill University in Canada studied mice that were genetically modified so they couldn’t produce vitamin D. Through a range of analyses, they … Read more
Cats make many curious sounds, and chattering is one of the most intriguing. This behavior, often seen when cats spot a bird or small animal outside, leaves many cat owners wondering: why do cats chatter at birds? This unique noise is actually a quick clicking or stuttering of their teeth, often mixed with tiny chirps. … Read more
In a stunning turn of events, researchers have discovered something so pure and old that it nearly seems like a window into a bygone past. They have discovered a woolly rhinoceros that has been buried in ice for 32,000 years beneath the icy clutches of Siberia. This nearly flawlessly preserved Ice Age artifact provides a … Read more
According to a new study that was published in Nature Geoscience, a network of rivers around 75 kilometers from Mount Everest is ruthlessly chiseling away at a deep valley, removing landmass at an incredible rate. As a result of this ongoing erosion, Mount Everest is rising—not by small amounts, but by up to two millimeters … Read more
For the first time, scientists have experimentally seen the development of transmissible tumors in the freshwater cnidarian Hydra oligactis. In rare instances, tumor cells may travel across hosts, resembling an infectious disease, even though tumors are often not transmissible. The researchers discovered through artificial selection that tumors in Hydra can develop into vertically transmissible disease … Read more
Every one of the millions of animal species that inhabit the planet has evolved a reproduction strategy that is specific to its surroundings. Which animal, however, has the record for having the most children at once? A seemingly straightforward query soon becomes considerably more intricate. To begin with, how you define “offspring” will determine which … Read more
