Lemurs of Madagascar come in many shapes and sizes. Lemurs are a unique group of primates native to Madagascar, an island off the coast of east Africa. Although they are related to monkeys and apes, lemurs make up a separate branch of the primate family tree and are classified asContinue Reading
The same physics could give rise to auroras on Jupiter and Saturn. By re-creating the conditions for an aurora in the lab, researchers have confirmed how these bright, shimmery curtains of light form. The northern lights arise when electrons from space cascade into the upper atmosphere, where they collide withContinue Reading
Simply seeing another bird get sick is enough to trigger an immune response in healthy birds. For canaries, just seeing their feathered friends get sick may be enough to preemptively rev up their immune systems. Healthy birds housed within view of fellow fowl infected with a common pathogen mounted anContinue Reading
The plants may form a type of communal lifestyle never seen outside of the animal kingdom. High in the forest canopy, a mass of strange ferns grips a tree trunk, looking like a giant tangle of floppy, viridescent antlers. Below these fork-leaved fronds and closer into the core of theContinue Reading
The biggest scourge to bees is tiny—a mite the size of a pinhead that feeds on them and spreads deadly viruses. Getting rid of the parasite, Varroa destructor, is tough: Chemicals can kill it, but the mite has started to evolve resistance to the usual pesticides; moreover, these and otherContinue Reading
COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths dipped following mass vaccination of adults in Serrana. In Serrana, Brazil, schools are reopening and plans are under way for a large open-air concert. Health care workers suddenly have time for sit-down meals rather than rushing to grab street food during a spare free moment. TheseContinue Reading
Suction in elephants’ trunks is more powerful than scientists thought. Elephants’ trunks suck a lot — and that’s a good thing. Powerful suction allows elephants to deftly grasp small and delicate pieces of food, even fragile tortilla chips that would otherwise be crushed or fumbled by the grip of theirContinue Reading
Risks of rare allergic reactions, blood clots and maybe heart problems don’t outweigh benefits. Many people have experienced sore arms and feeling wiped out for a couple of days after getting a COVID-19 vaccine. Some get fevers, chills and headaches. Those familiar side effects have become widely accepted as theContinue Reading
A bone arrowhead found in the ancient Philistine city of Gath may have been fired off by the city’s defenders as part of a last stand described in the Bible. According to the Hebrew Bible, a king named Hazael), who ruled the kingdom of Aram from around 842 B.C. toContinue Reading
The matchmaking service is a tactic to avoid inbreeding. Worker ants are known to take on many different job roles, from trash collectors to nurses that dress the wounds of injured comrades, to babysitters that care for their leader’s young. But one Mediterranean ant species takes royal work to theContinue Reading