In their latest trip to the Atacama Trench, one of the deepest points in the Pacific Ocean, a team of scientists repeatedly lowered a device called a deep-sea lander overboard and watched as it sank into the cold, dark waters. The lander – essentially a high-tech trap outfitted with bait, monitors and underwater cameras –
Nature
In the freezing desolation of Antarctica, life is not easy for the Adélie penguin, threatened by the deluge of snow and beset by harsh winter winds. But a newly discovered graveyard of hundreds of ancient, mummified penguins in East Antarctica shows their hardship may be even more punishingly severe in the hotter world all species
Are oranges called oranges because they’re orange? Or is orange called orange because of oranges? Hmm. Either way, a bizarre phenomenon witnessed in Australia could mean we need to do a big rethink on oranges and associated vernacular, after a specimen of the fruit inexplicably turned purple last week. On Tuesday, Queensland resident Neti Moffitt
[embedded content] Dolphins have refined their precision killing over millions of years of evolution, roaming oceans in pods to funnel fish into their jaws. That daily ritual usually occurs far from land. But this week, something far more rare happened. Hundreds of common dolphins in a ‘superpod’ sliced through slate-gray waters off Monterey Bay, California while
For decades, scientists have estimated that the Siberian unicorn – a long-extinct species of mammal that looked more like a rhino than a horse – died out some 350,000 years ago. But a beautifully preserved skull found in Kazakhstan in 2016 has completely overturned that assumption. Turns out, these incredible creatures were still around as recently
When somebody mentions anaesthetics, we probably think straight away of pain relief, but there’s a lot more going on in these complex chemical compounds than the simple negation of discomfort. While there’s a range of chemicals that can induce anaesthesia in humans, just how these unrelated compounds trigger a lack of consciousness remains somewhat unclear.
One of the world’s deadliest spiders is among the thousands of bugs and reptiles that were recently stolen from the Philadelphia Insectarium and Butterfly Pavilion, according to authorities. Security cameras caught several people leaving the museum on August 22 with 80 to 90 percent of the collection housed in plastic containers, from tarantulas to geckos.
A pair of new imaging techniques is set to make waves in the study of vertebrate biology. The first has solved an “impossible” problem. The second is the discovery of fluorescence in protein previously used for staining bones, allowing structures to be observed in finer detail than ever before. Combined, the two techniques have been
Leafy sea dragons, foot-long fish with flowy and fernlike fronds, typically lead what appears to be a very chill existence. In their native Australian waters, they float with the current, avoiding predators by looking more like stray seaweed than flesh. To fill their bellies, they suck tiny crustaceans off the ocean floor through a columnar
Sharks are some of the most notorious meat-eaters on the planet. And for a long time, scientists assumed that the vast majority of these marine creatures were solely carnivorous. The ocean, however, is full of surprises. Scientists have now discovered that one of the most common sharks in the world is actually an omnivore. A
Tropical Storm Gordon is centered 50 miles (80 kilometres) off the coast of Fort Myers, Florida on Monday evening, dumping rain on the peninsula and whipping its shores with maximum winds up to 50 miles per hour (80 km/h). Heading northwest at 17 miles per hour (27 km/h), the National Hurricane Center predicts Gordon could
If you happen to be visiting one of Utah’s many remote mountain lakes, don’t be alarmed if you suddenly see more fish in the sky than in the water. It’s not a trick of the eye. It’s the state’s latest attempt at trout restoration. The US state of Utah is well-known for excellent trout fishing in
The mystery behind how birds navigate might finally be solved: it’s not the iron in their beaks providing a magnetic compass, but a protein in their eyes that lets them “see” Earth’s magnetic fields. These findings come courtesy of two papers – one studying robins, the other zebra finches. The fancy eye protein is called
The Lizard King cometh. No, not Jim Morrison. The REAL Lizard King – an Asian water monitor named “Bamboo” that’s been chilling in a South Florida neighborhood and appears to be unstoppable, or at least untrappable. The 6-foot, 100-pound (1.8-metre 45-kilogram) monstrosity has been thwomping around in the Broward County town of Davie since Monday
The small, tropical fish known as a cleaner wrasse has just joined the ranks of various mammals and birds that have passed a classic test for determining self-awareness. An international team of researchers have found the finger-sized wrasse are capable of recognising their reflection, suggesting some part of their brain must be aware of its
Goats can tell the difference between our human facial expressions – and they would rather interact with happy, smiling people, a new study suggests. For people who own and love goats, this probably isn’t a huge surprise, but it’s the first scientific evidence of how goats read human emotional expressions, demonstrating that it’s not just
People eager to spend the waning days of summer frolicking in the waters near a coastal town in northwest France might want to rethink their plans. It isn’t safe, according to local officials, who recently banned swimming and diving in the area. But the danger threatening visitors to the beaches of Landevennec isn’t a vicious
We now have direct proof that ancient insects were also prey to horrifying parasitoids. Scientists painstakingly studyied 1,510 fossilised fly pupae from the Palaeogene, and discovered tiny fossilised wasp larvae inside 55 of them. Together, they include four new species that were previously unknown to science. Endoparasitoid wasps, conceptually, are some of the creatures that are
During the peak of the last glacial period, some 25,000 years ago, the population of prehistoric cave bears (Ursus spelaeus complex) dwindled to a trickle. And then, there were none. But while the once-flourishing species no longer roams the high alpines of Europe and Asia, a new study has found their DNA continues to live
Working as an au pair is often considered a great way to earn money and travel the world. The pay is crap, sure, but you can take comfort in the fact you’re not a naked mole rat. It turns out their queens literally feed their workers faeces dosed with hormones to encourage them to look
Most people with ovaries go through menopause. But most animals do not, and their reproductive organs last about as long as they do. We are an outlier. So are whales. Beluga whales and narwhals are the latest known addition to the ranks of menopausal mammals, a group of scientists reported Monday in the journal Scientific
Daniel, Jack and Matthew Aplin were driving along the south coast of Wellington, New Zealand, last weekend when they got a little bit distracted. The three brothers were supposed to be on the lookout for the perfect diving and spearfishing spot, with plenty of paua and butterfish to collect, when suddenly, their attention was caught
Around 252 million years ago, the Earth changed drastically and catastrophically. Massive, ongoing volcanic activity in Siberia wrapped the planet in a thick shroud of ash for almost a million years, killing off most of the life that was around at the time. This event, called the Great Dying, is the most severe extinction event
Most living things have to make babies to reproduce, and let’s face it, things can get messy. But this video of over 1,000 tarantula babies hatching out of an egg sac brings the process to a whole new level. The Deadly Tarantula Girl video, hosted by Marita Lorbiecke, shows the offspring of two Brazilian red and
Every morning, they rise to the surface of the water; every evening, they sink back down to the lakebed. Now scientists have finally figured out how these green spheres – called marimo algae – perform their dance every single day. You may have seen pictures of marimo. It’s bizarrely adorable – like little fuzzy balls
Insects like grasshoppers and crickets may play a role in pollination, new research finds. We tend to think of these critters, called orthopterans, as agricultural pests, but their tropical relatives provide a valuable service to plants by serving as pollinators, according to the study. “When people think of pollinators, bees and butterflies are usually the
If you live with a dog you just know when it’s happy or miserable, don’t you? Of course you do. Even the scientific community, now admits that dogs have emotions – even if scientists can’t directly measure what they are experiencing. People have had a close bond with domesticated dogs for centuries. In his 1764
Scientists in Siberia have made an extraordinary find: the fossilised remains of an extinct baby Palaeolithic horse, in almost perfect condition. Dug out from the permafrost in Siberia’s Batagaika crater – AKA the “Doorway to the Underworld” – the tiny colt is so beautifully preserved, it looks like it could be sleeping. But the equine
In 1815, a volcanic eruption in Indonesia sent shockwaves through history. It gave us science fiction. It gave us Dickensian Christmas (we’ll get to that in a bit). And now, it turns out it may also have played a role in the downfall of one of western history’s greatest generals, Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon was
Parasitic gall wasps have some of the freshest cribs nature has to offer. Deposited among the trees as young larvae, these hungry parasites trick their plant host into covering them with a gall – a swelling that provides plenty of nutrients for a growing wasp. But in the game of life, there’s always a bigger
Pool noodles aren’t just an important swimming aid. Their buoyancy and bendiness make fun times in the water even more fun than usual. But don’t just take our word for it. This crocodile in Florida clearly thinks so too, having been spotted using a bright yellow pool noodle when crossing a canal in Key Largo
Hawaii may face a direct hit from a Category 5 hurricane later this week. The National Weather Service on Tuesday night said that Hurricane Lane had been upgraded to a Category 5 storm, meaning it has the potential to bring winds in excess of 157 miles per hour (253 km/h) and cause severe damage to
An analysis of a stalagmite from the depths of a cave in China has unveiled clues about an event in Earth’s history when its magnetic field flipped back and forth in a geological blink. Not only was this rapid wobble a surprise, a similarly abrupt shift in the near future would almost certainly pose big
People will tell you laziness is bad. Get up and be active, they say. Move your body around, and it won’t just keep you fit, it could even keep you young. That’s good advice, but new research suggests being inherently lazy isn’t always as bad as is made out – and could actually be an evolutionary
It looks like something out of a sad fairy tale. Tiny ants are pulling over petals, making a pile, and on top rests a dead bumblebee. The original video was posted by Minnesota resident Nicole Webinger, but has since been taken down – although there’s no shortage of copies proliferating across the internet. “Saw this
The Meg had one of the biggest opening weekends at the box office this year, taking in more than US$45 million. At the center of the movie is the megalodon, a giant prehistoric shark that ate whales and was 10 times bigger than a Tyrannosaurus rex. Scientists believe the megashark went extinct at least 2
Their name means ‘monster’, and once upon a time, ancient sailors feared that’s exactly what these giant creatures of the deep were. But while basking sharks (Cetorhinus maximus) might be the second-largest fish in the ocean, these gentle giants are not fearsome predators but vulnerable plankton-eaters – and despite their massive size, there’s still a
In a truly fascinating case, scientists have discovered that what was once thought to be an extremely rare, elusive songbird in Africa, may have never existed after all. For more than 30 years, experts tried to catch a glimpse of a bird so evasive it was deemed almost mythical. And last year, DNA analysis pointed
Ants don’t tend to get in traffic jams. They might butt heads (or antennae) momentarily as they go about their industrious business, but ants somehow have mastered the art of keeping things moving. They’re geniuses of flow. Another striking thing about ants is that some of them just sit around doing nothing. This has also
A chemical analysis of fossils from 3.4 billion years ago has put them firmly in the running for the title of “world’s oldest evidence of life.” Only discovered in 2011, the microfossils hail from the Strelley Pools formation in the Western Australian desert – an extraordinary find, considering Earth is thought to be around 4.5
Thousands of years ago, on what is now the Greek island of Santorini, a mountain exploded in one of the largest volcanic eruptions in recorded history. But scientists have had difficulty establishing exactly when the Minoan volcano Thera erupted – until now. An unusual source may be able to settle the debate from conflicting archaeological
If you notice dogs aiming as high as possible when they pee in public, there might be a very good reason for that: they’re trying to trick other dogs into thinking they’re taller than they really are. We already know that dogs leave a urine marker to label their territory or as a calling card
As The Meg, a new sci-fi horror film about a giant shark, fills cinema screens worldwide, it’s worth pausing to appreciate the animal behind the screams. Carcharocles megalodon (or just Megalodon) is one of the most impressive creatures ever to have existed on Earth. Huge, voracious, and beautifully mysterious, megalodons were the largest known sharks
Sometimes, you need a reminder that the world isn’t all bad. Today, the reminder we bring you is this adorable ‘Japan pig’ – a brand new species of pygmy seahorse just discovered in southeastern Japan. “Japan is recognised as a global hotspot of marine biodiversity, with 53 recorded species of syngnathids, including ten species of
Recognising faces is essential for how we interact in complex societies, and is often thought to be an ability that requires the sophistication of the large human brain. But new evidence we published in Frontiers in Psychology shows that insects such as the honeybee (Apis mellifera) and the European wasp (Vespula vulgaris) use visual processing
It might not be a happy ending, but in the circumstances, it’s the happiest we could have hoped for. Tahlequah, aka the orca mother J35, has finally surrendered her deceased newborn calf, after carrying her lifeless body for seventeen straight days in an arduous display of animal grief and denial that made headlines around the
Scientists have sequenced the full genome of a tiny fern with leaves the size of gnats that could help in cutting atmospheric carbon dioxide, fixing nitrogen in agriculture, and shooing insects from crops. Azolla filiculoides is a water fern often found fertilizing rice paddies in Asia, but its ancestry goes much further back. “Fifteen million years
A grieving orca was spotted off the coast of Washington state Thursday, carrying her stillborn calf through the Pacific Ocean for the 17th day in a journey that has astonished and devastated much of the world. Tahlequah, as the mother has come to be called, gave birth on July 25 in what should have been