Animals

Animals

Let’s learn about birdwatching for beginners

One birdwatcher unpacks the personal and scientific rewards of birding, and how to get started.

Animals

Have you seen Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster? Probably not 

 Floe Foxon is a data scientist by day. In his free time, he applies his skills to astronomy, cryptology and sightings of mythical creatures.

Animals

Swimming in schools lets fish save lots of energy

Each tail flap uses less than half as much energy than swimming solo, making it easier for fish to catch their breath after an underwater sprint.

Animals

Paw-print DNA lets scientists track out-of-sight polar bears

This environmental DNA can aid in conserving species that are hard or dangerous to observe.

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.