Animals

Animals

A newfound type of hedgehog is small, dark and adorable

At first, this hedgehog was mistaken for a lookalike relative. But its teeth, skull shape and DNA confirmed it as a new species.

Animals

Here’s how kingfishers avoid concussions during high-speed dives

Understanding the genetic adaptations that protect the birds’ brains as they dive might one day offer clues to protecting human brains.

Animals

Horned lizards and snakes tend to ambush their prey

The reptiles’ horns could help or hinder during foraging, depending on how they hunt. This might be why horns evolved in some species and not others.

Animals

Pikmin’s plant-animal mashups don’t exist — but sun-powered animals do

Corals team up with photosynthetic zooxanthellae. Some sea slugs steal chloroplasts. How might animals and plants team up in Nintendo’s Pikmin games?

Animals

Bonobos cooperate across social groups — even with no clear payoff

Bonobos cooperate with outsiders, even when they get no clear benefit out of it. This could shed light on social evolution in other primates, even us.

Animals

These penguins nap 10,000 times a day, for seconds at a time

Such an extreme sleep schedule may help nesting chinstrap penguins protect their young while still getting more than 11 hours of shut-eye.

Psychology

Pets and other animals can boost health and well-being

Living with animals seems to provide some health benefits, from lower stress levels to a stronger immune system.

Animals

Like tiny Jedis, rats can move digital objects with their brains

Rats imagined their way through a 3-D virtual world in a new study. The results hint at how brains think about places they aren’t physically in.

Oceans

Shading corals during midday heat can limit bleaching

Shading coral reefs during the sunniest part of the day may help corals survive marine heat waves.

Animals

Scientists Say: Camouflage

Plants and animals alike hide in plain sight using this sneaky strategy.

Environment

Pumping cold water into rivers could help fish chill out

Hundreds of salmon, trout and other fish sought shelter from summer heat in the human-made cool zones. These areas may help fish adapt to river warming.

Animals

These jellyfish can learn without brains

No brain? No problem for Caribbean box jellyfish. Their simple nervous systems can still learn, a study suggests.