Odd Creatures: Plants & Animals
October 22, 2024
Top Headlines
Oct. 21, 2024 — Researchers who work with bacteriophages -- viruses that eat bacteria -- had a pleasant and potentially very important surprise after treating samples to view under an electron microscope: they had ...
Oct. 21, 2024 — Plants adapt their water consumption to environmental conditions by counting and calculating environmental stimuli with their guard ...
Oct. 21, 2024 — A new PET scan reliably detects benign tumors in the pancreas, according to new research. Current scans often fail to detect these insulinomas, even though they cause symptoms due to low blood sugar levels. Once the tumor is found, surgery is ...
Oct. 21, 2024 — Scientists have discovered the earliest evidence of animal butchery by humans in ...
Latest Headlines
updated 11:33pm EDT
Oct. 21, 2024 — How can lifeless molecules come together to form a living ...
Oct. 17, 2024 — Researchers have cracked the code of plant-to-fungi communication in a new study. Using baker's yeast, the researchers discovered that the plant hormone strigolactone (SL) activates fungal genes and ...
Oct. 18, 2024 — A species of tropical butterfly with unusually expanded brain structures display a fascinating mosaic pattern of neural expansion linked to a cognitive ...
Oct. 17, 2024 — Researchers have analyzed down to the smallest detail the unusual arsenal of weapons that a predatory marine bacterium has at its disposal. Perhaps one day these weapons could also be put to use in ...
Oct. 17, 2024 — U.S. researchers have detected microplastic particles in air exhaled by wild bottlenose dolphins, suggesting that inhalation may be a relevant route of exposure to these potentially harmful ...
Oct. 17, 2024 — Many plankton journey from the cold, dark depths of our oceans to the surface, only to eventually drift down again into the darkness in a perpetual ...
Oct. 8, 2024 — Stressed bees are much more likely to make pessimistic choices and lack a buzz in ...
Oct. 8, 2024 — What makes Mexican jumping beans jump? Research reveals that Mexican jumping bean larvae respond to different colors of light, jumping more vigorously under different hues, which can help them avoid ...
Oct. 15, 2024 — Researchers tracked the behavior of mice using machine learning to understand how they handle aggressive behavior from other mice. The researchers' findings show that male mice deescalate aggressive ...
Oct. 11, 2024 — A collection-based survey of lichen species at the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah, USA and Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station in Nunavut, Canada was conducted as part of the Mars-160 ...
Earlier Headlines
Oct. 15, 2024 — Researchers have discovered seven new species of tree frogs that make otherworldly calls in the rainforests of Madagascar. Their strange, high-pitched whistling calls sound more like sound effects ...
Oct. 15, 2024 — A study in the Cascade Range in Oregon of a tiny, elusive skunk found the animal can cover more ground than deer and is sensitive to climate change, particularly severe winter ...
Oct. 11, 2024 — Scientists analyzed hairs extracted from the broken teeth of two 19th century 'man-eater' lions. Their analysis revealed DNA from giraffe, human, oryx, waterbuck, wildebeest and zebra as ...
Oct. 9, 2024 — Newly discovered birds from Late Cretaceous North America were hawk-sized and had powerful raptor-like feet, according to a new ...
Oct. 9, 2024 — Fungi don't have eyes or a brain, but their intelligent behaviors may surprise you. New research suggests that fungi may be able to recognize ...
Oct. 9, 2024 — Microbiologists found that showerheads and toothbrushes are teeming with an extremely diverse collection of viruses -- most of which have never been seen ...
Oct. 9, 2024 — 161,979 new RNA viruses have been discovered using a machine learning tool that researchers believe will vastly improve the mapping of life on Earth and could aid in the identification of many ...
Oct. 9, 2024 — Researchers recently developed electronic tongue capable of identifying differences in similar liquids, such as milk with varying water content; diverse products, including soda types and coffee ...
Oct. 8, 2024 — The expectations humans have of a pleasurable sensation asymmetrically shape neuronal responses and subjective experiences to hot sauce, according to a new ...
Oct. 8, 2024 — A new species of clearwing moth was found in Port Talbot, Wales. A few moths had been accidentally brought into the UK from Guyana in a camera bag after a photography trip. They stood out as unusual ...
Oct. 7, 2024 — NASA's Curiosity rover, currently exploring Gale crater on Mars, is providing new details about how the ancient Martian climate went from potentially suitable for life -- with evidence for ...
Oct. 7, 2024 — Researchers have made the surprising discovery that one species of comb jelly (Mnemiopsis leidyi) can fuse, such that two individuals readily turn into one following an injury. Afterwards, they ...
Oct. 4, 2024 — A study determines when and how pterosaurs went from tiny tree-climbers to towering terrestrial titans Flying reptiles first came down from the trees in the mid-Jurassic Period, paving the way for ...
Oct. 4, 2024 — Researchers discover that geckos use a mechanism usually associated with balance to sense vibrations, leading to new insights about how animals hear and feel their ...
Oct. 4, 2024 — Researchers have uncovered a fascinating mechanism behind the reduction and asymmetry of emu wing bones. The wings not only show significant shortening, but the skeletal elements also fuse ...
Oct. 3, 2024 — According to a new study, colonies of ants began farming fungi when an asteroid struck Earth 66 million years ago. This asteroid impact caused a global mass extinction but also created ideal ...
Oct. 3, 2024 — Pockets of microbes have been found living within a sealed fracture in 2-billion-year-old rock. The rock was excavated from the Bushveld Igneous Complex in South Africa, an area known for its rich ...
Oct. 3, 2024 — Scientists were recently surprised to find that the natural community of zooplankton -- tiny, aquatic animals known to graze on bacteria -- present in freshwater and saltwater do not clean water that ...
Oct. 3, 2024 — New research explains how the fly brain creates an accurate internal compass to keep track of where it is in the world using only a few neurons, expanding scientists' knowledge of what small ...
Oct. 3, 2024 — Researchers have discovered inorganic nanostructures surrounding deep-ocean hydrothermal vents that are strikingly similar to molecules that make life as we know it possible. These nanostructures are ...
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
- Seven New Frog Species Discovered in Madagascar: Sounds Like Something from Star Trek
- Tube Sock-Like Skunk Covers More Ground Than Deer, Impacted by Winter Weather, Study Finds
Friday, October 11, 2024
Wednesday, October 9, 2024
- Newly Discovered Late Cretaceous Birds May Have Carried Heavy Prey Like Extant Raptors
- Do Fungi Recognize Shapes?
- Viruses Are Teeming on Your Toothbrush, Showerhead
- Over 160,000 New Viruses Discovered by AI
- A Matter of Taste: Electronic Tongue Reveals AI 'inner Thoughts'
Tuesday, October 8, 2024
- Asymmetric Placebo Effect in Response to Spicy Food
- New Species of Clearwing Moth from Guyana Discovered in Wales
Monday, October 7, 2024
- New Insights Into How Mars Became Uninhabitable
- After Injury, These Comb Jellies Can Fuse to Become One
Friday, October 4, 2024
- Pterosaurs Needed Feet on the Ground to Become Giants
- Scientists Uncover Auditory 'sixth Sense' In Geckos
- New Mechanism Uncovered for the Reduction of Emu Wings
Thursday, October 3, 2024
- Ant Agriculture Began 66 Million Years Ago in the Aftermath of the Asteroid That Doomed the Dinosaurs
- 2-Billion-Year-Old Rock Home to Living Microbes
- Zooplankton Play Limited Role in Cleaning Contaminated Water
- Small Brains Can Accomplish Big Things, According to New Theoretical Research
- Nanostructures in the Deep Ocean Floor Hint at Life's Origin
Wednesday, October 2, 2024
- Study of Monkey Fossils Found in Cave Sheds Light on the Animals' Extinction Centuries Ago
- Bottlenose Dolphins 'smile' At Each Other While Playing
- Scientists Create Flies That Stop When Exposed to Red Light
- How a Bacterium Becomes a Permanent Resident in a Fungus
Tuesday, October 1, 2024
- 'Who's a Good Boy?' Humans Use Dog-Specific Voices for Better Canine Comprehension
- Neuroscientists Spark Shelter-Seeking Response by Reactivating Memory Circuit
- Squid-Inspired Fabric for Temperature-Controlled Clothing
Friday, September 27, 2024
Thursday, September 26, 2024
- These Fish Use Legs to Taste the Seafloor
- Increased Antioxidants and Phenolic Compounds Produced in Salted Red Perilla Leaves During Japanese Apricot Pickling
- Recording the Cats in the Hats
Wednesday, September 25, 2024
- Drone Footage Provides New Insight Into Gray Whales' Acrobatic Feeding Behavior
- Bacterial 'flipping' Allows Genes to Assume Different Forms
- Humbug Damselfish Use 'motion Dazzle' To Evade Predators
- World's Oldest Cheese Reveals Origins of Kefir
- These Tadpoles Have Discovered a Unique Way of Not Contaminating Their Water Supply: Not Pooping
Monday, September 23, 2024
- All-Night Lights Change the Behavior of Fish, Even Into the Next Generation
- Human Urine Could Be Used as Eco-Friendly Crop Fertilizer
Saturday, September 21, 2024
Friday, September 20, 2024
Thursday, September 19, 2024
Wednesday, September 18, 2024
- South African Rock Art Possibly Inspired by Long-Extinct Species
- Another New Wasp Species Discovered
- Why Petting Your Cat Leads to Static Electricity
- Measuring How Much Wood a Wood Shuck Shucks With All-New Wood Shuck Food
- Early Dingoes Are Related to Dogs from New Guinea and East Asia
Tuesday, September 17, 2024
- 'Scuba-Diving' Lizards Use Bubble to Breathe Underwater and Avoid Predators
- Unravelling an Ancient European Extinction Mystery: Disappearance of Dwarf Megafauna on Palaeolithic Cyprus
- Cow Slime Can Help Disc Herniation Patients After Surgery, Research Shows
Monday, September 16, 2024
- New Species of Wasp 'hidden in Plain Sight' Discovered by Researchers
- New 'grumpy' Fish Species Discovered in the Red Sea
Friday, September 13, 2024
Thursday, September 12, 2024
- How El Nino and Mega Ocean Warming Caused the Greatest-Ever Mass Extinction
- Trilobite Fossils from Upstate New York Reveal 'extra' Set of Legs
- New Fossil Fish Species Scales Up Evidence of Earth's Evolutionary March
- Killer Yeasts May Help Remedy a Craft Beer Brewing Bother
- Powered by Renewable Energy, Microbes Turn CO2 Into Protein and Vitamins
Wednesday, September 11, 2024
- Self-Medicating Gorillas and Traditional Healers Provide Clues for New Drug Discovery
- Mirror, Mirror, in My Tank, Who's the Biggest Fish of All?
- Scientists Expand the Genetic Alphabet to Create New Proteins
Tuesday, September 10, 2024
Monday, September 9, 2024
- Giant Fanged Frog Went Unrecognized in Philippines Because It Was Nearly Identical to Even Larger Species
- How Japanese Eels Escape from Their Predator's Stomach
Friday, September 6, 2024
- 'Ice Bucket Challenge' Reveals That Bacteria Can Anticipate the Seasons
- 'Some Pterosaurs Would Flap, Others Would Soar' -- New Study Further Confirms the Flight Capability of These Giants of the Skies
Thursday, September 5, 2024
- Scientists Make Tissue of Living Animals See-Through
- How Fish Guts Might Play a Role in Future Skin Care Products
Wednesday, September 4, 2024
- Miniature Treadmills Accelerate Studies of Insects Walking
- Chemists Explain Why Dinosaur Collagen May Have Survived for Millions of Years
Tuesday, September 3, 2024
Friday, August 30, 2024
Wednesday, September 4, 2024
Thursday, August 29, 2024
- Ancient Gene Gives Spiders Their Narrow Waist
- Scientists Discover How Starfish Get 'legless'
- Ancient Sea Cow Attacked by a Crocodile and Sharks Sheds New Light on Prehistoric Food Chains
- Land-Sea 'tag-Team' Devastated Ocean Life Millions of Years Ago Reveal Scientists
- Can Fungi Turn Food Waste Into the Next Culinary Sensation?
- This Tiny Backyard Bug Does the Fastest Backflips on Earth
Wednesday, August 28, 2024
- How Beetle Juice Led to the Discovery of a Virus and Solved the Mystery of a Superworm Die-Off
- Bacterial Cells Transmit Memories to Offspring
- Bats Are Surviving and Thriving on Nothing but Sugar
- Love Is Blind for Male Fruit Flies Who Will Choose Sex Over Safety
Monday, August 26, 2024
Friday, August 23, 2024
- Innovative Field Experiments Shed Light on Biological Clocks in Nature
- Bonobos and Ancient Origin of the 'common Enemy Effect'
Thursday, August 22, 2024
- Colorful Traits in Primates Ease Tensions Between Groups
- Life After (Feigned) Death
- Creature the Size of a Dust Grain Found Hiding in California's Mono Lake
- How Baleen Whales Have Adapted Over the Past 50 Million Years
- Tarantulas Have Surprising Partnerships With Other Species and Their Hairiness May Be a Defense Mechanism
Wednesday, August 21, 2024
- To Kill Mammoths in the Ice Age, People Used Planted Pikes, Not Throwing Spears, Researchers Say
- Pilot Study Uses Recycled Glass to Grow Plants for Salsa Ingredients
- Beetle That Pushes Dung With the Help of 100 Billion Stars Unlocks the Key to Better Navigation Systems in Drones and Satellites
- The Power of Face Time: Insights from Zebra Finch Courtship
Tuesday, August 20, 2024
- Humpbacks Are Among Animals Who Manufacture and Wield Tools
- Deadly Sea Snail Toxin Could Be Key to Making Better Medicines
- Adaptive 3D Printing System to Pick and Place Bugs and Other Organisms
- Researchers Uncover the Secrets of 'plant Puberty'
- 'Masters of Shape-Shifting': How Darkling Beetles Conquered the World