Animals

  1. A California two-spot octopus against a black backdrop
    Animals

    RNA editing helps octopuses cope with the cold

    California two-spot octopuses tweak the proteins they make, potentially to help maintain brain function when temperatures dip.

    By Freda Kreier
  2. A close up photo of a screwworm on a red background.
    Life

    50 years ago, flesh-eating screwworms pushed scientists to mass produce flies

    "Fly factories” dreamed up in the early 1970s have helped North and Central America keep screwworms in check for decades.

    By Nikk Ogasa
  3. A photo of a male Japanese macaque sitting on a rock with a blurry forest in the background.
    Animals

    When and why did masturbation evolve in primates? A new study provides clues

    In a first-of-its-kind comparative study, researchers show that primates were masturbating 40 million years ago and that the behavior may help males keep their sperm fresh.

    By Darren Incorvaia
  4. A photo of four cats perched on a ledge.
    Life

    A gene therapy shot might keep cats from getting pregnant without being spayed

    Even after mating with fertile males, females given the cat contraceptive, which targets an ovulation-preventing hormone, did not get pregnant.

    By Erin Garcia de Jesús
  5. A headshot of Marjorie Weber smiling in front of large plants
    Ecosystems

    Marjorie Weber explores plant-protecting ants and other wonders of evolution

    Cooperation across the tree of life is an understudied driver of evolution and biodiversity, Marjorie Weber says.

    By Meghan Rosen
  6. A photo of a wooden walkway leading between several gray and white boxes in a large grassy field.
    Life

    Air pollution monitoring may accidentally help scientists track biodiversity

    Filters in air monitoring facilities inadvertently capture environmental DNA, which could give scientists a new tool to track local plants and animals.

    By Erin Garcia de Jesús
  7. A close up photo of a forager Cataglyphis fortis ant standing on a brown sandy surface.
    Animals

    These ants build tall nest hills to help show the way home

    Desert ants living in the harsh, flat salt pans of Tunisia create towering anthills to aid with navigating the near-featureless terrain.

    By Soumya Sagar
  8. A close up photo of a tiny brown mouse poking the top half of its body out of a hole in a tree.
    Animals

    How a new Lyme vaccine for mice may protect people

    A vaccine, distributed as pellets, can neutralize Lyme-causing bacteria in wildlife. Scientists hope it will reduce Lyme exposure for people and pets.

    By Rebecca Dzombak
  9. A photo of a clear glass container with a white sea cucumber floating in a clear liquid. Other clear glass containers are sitting on the table behind the sea cucumber with out of focus books on shelves in the background.
    Life

    5,000 deep-sea animals new to science turned up in ocean records

    Scientists compiled a list of animals unknown to science that live in a deep-sea Pacific Ocean ecosystem targeted for mining exploration.

    By Jude Coleman
  10. An image of a 3-D reconstruction of a spiny mouse skeleton on a black background. The mouse's tail is shown in red with a close-up of the plates that sit in the rodent's skin.
    Life

    Spiny mice have armadillo-like armor in their tails

    CT scans revealed the bony plates in the rodents’ tails. The hidden armor may protect against attacking predators or other spiny mice.

    By Jake Buehler
  11. image of an octopus
    Animals

    Octopuses and squid are masters of RNA editing while leaving DNA intact

    Modifications to RNA could explain the intelligence and flexibility of shell-less cephalopods.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  12. A photo of a bobcat standing in front of a snowy background.
    Life

    Large predators push coyotes and bobcats near people and to their demise

    Coyotes and bobcats hide near people when wolves, cougars and other large predators are close-by, putting the smaller carnivores at a higher risk of dying at human hands.

    By Freda Kreier