Animals
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NatureWrap: Remora on a whale of a ride
Tales of transport, food and friendship.
Remora are famous for hitching a ride on the bodies of sharks and whales, using the suction in their front dorsal fin...
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Where humans go, dogs follow
Genome sequencing reveals our shared history.
“Man’s best friend” is the phrase most often wheeled out to describe dogs’ thousands of years as a human companion an...
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Taste by touch is all in the suckers
Researchers explore how octopus sensors work.
An octopus can “taste by touch” thanks to the suction-cup-like suckers along each of its eight tentacles. But how ...
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Vampire bats choose to social distance
When sick they keep more to themselves, study shows.
Vampire bats, it seems, embrace what you could think of as social distancing. A new study published in the journal...
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How leaf cutter ants domesticated crops
Could human farmers learn from them?
Over tens of millions of years, fungus-farming ants have learned how to cultivate their crops to ensure a stable food...
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Can cat genes explain their nine lives?
Maybe not, but they can help unravel genomic mutations.
Move over human genomic medicine – scientists are now getting closer to gene therapy for felines, thanks to an Abyssi...
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Ageing chimps value old friends
It’s a human trait we didn’t know they had.
As humans age they tend to favour small groups of old friends, where interactions are positive and stress-free. It...
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Diabolical design is a puzzle
Scientists discover secret of a near-indestructible beetle.
It’s not uncommon for scientists to take cues from nature when it comes to self-protection. In recent months, Cosmos ...
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Exploring the strength of ants and silk
Two hi-tech studies get right inside their subjects.
Scientists have discovered two new examples of how strength is a virtue in the world of insects and arachnids. One...
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Bridging gaps in rare gibbon’s habitat
Researchers and primates know the ropes.
The Hainan gibbon (Nomascus hainanus) is the rarest primate on Earth, with no more than 30 individuals thought to rem...
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Honeybee ID is a gut feeling
They recognise each other thanks to similar microbiomes.
Bee sisters are genetically closer than human sisters, so it’s easy to assume this is why they recognise each other. ...
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How tardigrades survive in India
Study suggests they have a fluorescent UV shield.
Tardigrades have always been known for their toughness, but now it seems they might be able to share a superpower. ...