Scientists chronicle the life journey of one remarkable woolly mammoth

Genetic and isotopic analyses have pieced together a remarkable narrative of a 20-year-old female woolly mammoth, detailing her health, social status and travels – even though her story is more than 14,000 years old. It offers new insight into mammoth … Continue reading Scientists chronicle the life journey of one remarkable woolly mammoth

Cannibalism seen for first time after marsupials’ suicidal sex sessions

The sex life of a tiny Australian marsupial known as an antechinus is already pretty bizarre. But now its mating season has gotten even stranger – and darker – thanks to the introduction of cannibalism, as observed by field researchers.Continue Reading… Continue reading Cannibalism seen for first time after marsupials’ suicidal sex sessions

Tiny sea creature’s ‘snot palace’ inspires new water-pump tech

A house made of mucus may not sound like a desirable abode, yet researchers have found that the crafty animal creating such an unappealing structure may help engineers design cheaper and more efficient pumps for vital industrial applications like water… Continue reading Tiny sea creature’s ‘snot palace’ inspires new water-pump tech

T. rex teeth to headbutting dinosaurs: Fossil finds of 2023

With rapidly advancing techniques to assess fossil finds, we’ve never been in a better position to accurately piece together Earth’s early days. While there are still plenty of mysteries dating back millions of years, in 2023 we managed to solve a few,… Continue reading T. rex teeth to headbutting dinosaurs: Fossil finds of 2023

AI, aliens and giant poo piles: Weirdest science stories of 2023

Some scientists are working to tackle climate change or cure cancer, but others are more focused on figuring out if time travel really would follow Back to the Future rules. From where “love” is felt in the body, to the scientific value of giant piles … Continue reading AI, aliens and giant poo piles: Weirdest science stories of 2023

Giant pandas have their own ‘Facebook’ to chat to other bears

Scientists have discovered that the giant panda, long considered a bit of a loner, has a surprisingly active social life, communicating with friends and family in a way that’s akin to sharing status updates on Facebook.Continue ReadingCategory: Biology… Continue reading Giant pandas have their own ‘Facebook’ to chat to other bears

Scientists practice communicating with aliens by chatting to whales

If movies are anything to go by, meeting aliens rarely goes well for humanity. To stop us making a faux pas of cosmic proportions, scientists have been practicing by trying to chat to whales in their own language – and judging by the early results, we … Continue reading Scientists practice communicating with aliens by chatting to whales

Fancy a tardigrade emoji? Biologists call for this and more to be added

There may be currently 3,782 emojis in the beloved Unicode library, yet a team of biologists has found its representation of the tree of life is significantly substandard.Continue ReadingCategory: Biology, ScienceTags: Biodiversity, Animals, Animal sci… Continue reading Fancy a tardigrade emoji? Biologists call for this and more to be added

Mouse passes mirror test, joining elite club of ‘self-aware’ animals

Joining the likes of killer whales (Orcinus orca) and bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), plus a number of primates, a common dark-furred mouse has passed what’s known as the mirror test, backed up by gene mapping, that suggests it may possess we… Continue reading Mouse passes mirror test, joining elite club of ‘self-aware’ animals