Animals
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The rat pack gets the job done
They work well together, even when communication is limited.
Rats work well in teams, it seems. A new study suggests rodent groups outperform individuals in searching for a targe...
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Are playful dogs easier to train?
Research suggests working breeds could be the most fun.
Playfulness is serious business. Scientists have gone to great lengths to solve the mystery of why animals play, with...
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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...