Animals
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Why boys should be friends with girls
Baboon study suggests it increases chance of a long life.
Close friendships can increase the odds of living a long life – not just in humans but also in animals including hors...
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Funnel-webs don’t mean to hurt us
Impact of venom an ‘unfortunate evolutionary coincidence’.
Australia’s funnel-web spiders are deadly to humans – particularly the males from the species Atrax robustus that cal...
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Citizen Science
Finding the powerful owl
Australia’s largest owl is an accomplished hiding expert.
The powerful owl (Ninox strenua) is Australia’s largest owl. With big yellow eyes and an impressive wingspan of up to...
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NatureWatch: Tales of growth and survival
Big sharks, big eaters, big lizards and a new butterfly.
To get big, grow slow A decade-long study of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) has determined that the biggest fish i...
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Flight of the sniffer bees
Honeybee scent training could make pollination more effective.
Honeybees continue to cause quite a buzz with their smarts. Previous studies have found that not only can they unders...
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New clues to the origin of domestic horses
Ancient DNA suggests it didn’t happen in Anatolia.
Domestic horses likely did not originate in Anatolia as previously suspected, according to a new study of ancient rem...
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Variable habitat linked to diverse chimp skills
Environmental flux drives innovation, study suggests.
Chimpanzees living in habitats with greater environmental variability are more likely to have a wide-ranging set of b...
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Conversation
Predators, prey and moonlight singing
How phases of the Moon affect native wildlife.
By Euan Ritchie (Deakin University), Courtney Marneweck (Clemson University) and Grant Linley (Charles Sturt Universi...
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Why mozzies prefer some people to others
Science is working on an irritating issue.
If you’re one of those unlucky people who get mauled by mosquitoes, it might be somewhat reassuring to know that scie...
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NatureWatch: Tales of scents and movement
Smart moths, fast dogs and mesmerising snails.
Restoring chemical communication Scientists have studied the impact of high ozone air pollution on the chemical co...
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Focus
Cosmos Q&A: Driving an insect-led recovery
There’s a whole lot to love about bugs.
A lot of people never get past an aversion to insects, and for the sake of humanity, it would be better if they did. ...
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NatureWatch: Animals putting on a show
Startle displays, protective parents and good leaders.
Startling discovery about the praying mantis The praying mantis is not unique in using the “startle display” as a ...