Life
- Animals
A springtail’s spring-loaded backflip is fast — really fast
Globular springtails can seem to vanish as they spin backwards at rates of up to 368 rotations per second! So don’t blink.
- Animals
Chimps and bonobos recognize familiar faces even after decades apart
Chimpanzees and bonobos may boast the longest social memory of any animal besides humans.
- Animals
This biologist tracks seadragons, with help from the public
Nerida Wilson uses artificial intelligence to identify seadragons in photos taken by citizen scientists.
- Health & Medicine
Scientists Say: THC
The active chemical in marijuana might have some medicinal value. But studies point to THC's potential risks, especially for teens.
- Animals
Parrots may offer clues to how our intelligence evolved
Studies of the brainy birds’ abilities to use tools, solve puzzles, speak words and more may teach us about how our species got our smarts.
- Animals
Let’s learn about orangutans
These shaggy, red-haired apes are more solitary than other primates, but moms and babies share a strong bond.
- Planets
‘Percy,’ NASA’s rover, finds its first hint of ancient life on Mars
The robot examined a Mars rock containing organic compounds and “leopard spots.” On Earth, such spots usually come from microbial life.
- Animals
The last woolly mammoths offer new clues to why this species died out
The last woolly mammoth herd experienced a drop in genetic variation. But this is likely not what doomed these majestic beasts to extinction, new data suggest.
- Animals
Metal gives the teeth of Komodo dragons their super strength
Investigating Komodo dragons' ironclad teeth in greater detail could also help solve a dental mystery in dinosaurs.
- Plants
Many flowers and ferns lure in ants as bodyguards
With an offer of a nectar meal, ferns and flowering plants have been bribing ants to fend off predatory insects — since before the rise of T. rex.
- Genetics
Scientists Say: Telomere
These protective caps at the ends of chromosomes play a key role in cell replication.
- Animals
A childhood dog inspired this veterinarian to help others
Sunday Agbonika runs the organization Dogalov, which uses animals to help support neurodivergent children in Africa.
