Odd Creatures: Plants & Animals
April 12, 2025
Top Headlines
Apr. 9, 2025 — While it may be an unfamiliar sensation to humans, electroreception is relatively commonplace in the animal kingdom. Sharks, bees and even the platypus all share this ability to detect electric fields in their ...
Apr. 9, 2025 — Milky seas are a rare bioluminescent phenomenon where vast areas of the ocean glow at night, sometimes for months. This glow, likely caused by Vibrio harveyi bacteria, has been reported by sailors ...
Apr. 9, 2025 — A new study reveals the modern arid desert between Africa and Saudi Arabia was once regularly lush and green with rivers and lakes over a period of 8 million years, allowing for the occupation and movements of both animals and ...
Apr. 9, 2025 — Rhinos that flourished across much of North America 12 million years ago gathered in huge herds, according to a new ...
Latest Headlines
updated 11:25pm EDT
Apr. 9, 2025 — A new, exploratory study has revealed statistical links between the performance of medical detection dogs and their scores on behavioral and ...
Apr. 2, 2025 — In a small study of eight cats at early stages of pregnancy, researchers detected 19 different kinds of microplastic particles in fetuses from two cats and in the placentas of three ...
Apr. 9, 2025 — A new genomic study has uncovered long-lost genetic diversity in mammoth lineages spanning over a million years, providing new insights into the evolutionary history of these ...
Apr. 8, 2025 — The idea that dinosaurs were already in decline before an asteroid wiped most of them out 66 million years ago may be explained by a worsening fossil ...
Apr. 8, 2025 — About 66 million years ago, an asteroid slammed into the planet, wiping out all non-avian dinosaurs and about 70% of all marine species. But the ...
Apr. 8, 2025 — Researchers report their discovery of fluorescent pigments in the feathers of Long-eared Owls, that can only be seen by humans with the help of ultraviolet ...
Apr. 7, 2025 — Despite its uniquely rich inventory of organic molecules, Saturn's largest moon, Titan, may be able to support only a minuscule amount of biomass, if life exists on the moon, according to a study ...
Apr. 7, 2025 — The Last of Us is back on April 13 and this season is more realistic than ever. The trailer for the hit HBO series appears to show the 'zombie fungus' cordyceps infecting humans by releasing ...
Apr. 3, 2025 — While medical centers use ultrasound daily, so far this technology has not been capable of observing body tissues at the scale of cells. Physicists have now developed a microscopy technique based on ...
Apr. 3, 2025 — A switch of just two weeks from a traditional African diet to a Western diet causes inflammation, reduces the immune response to pathogens, and activates processes associated with lifestyle diseases. ...
Earlier Headlines
Apr. 10, 2025 — New research into the overlooked environmental impact of pet dogs has found far-reaching negative effects on wildlife, ecosystems and ...
Apr. 2, 2025 — A new study has found that the world's finest yodellers aren't from Austria or Switzerland, but the rainforests of Latin America. The research provides significant new insights into the ...
Apr. 2, 2025 — Miso is a traditional Japanese condiment made by fermenting cooked soybeans and salt. Researchers successfully made miso on the International Space Station (ISS). They found that the miso smelled and ...
Apr. 2, 2025 — An international team has sequenced the first ancient genomes from the so-called Green Sahara, a period when the largest desert in the world temporarily turned into a humid savanna-like environment. ...
Mar. 31, 2025 — Every night, bats emerge out of roosts in massive numbers, creating what scientists have called a 'cocktail party nightmare' of clashing echolocations. Nobody knew how bats managed this ...
Mar. 27, 2025 — The reuse of human urine would allow for the production of sustainable fertilizers for urban agriculture, with significant environmental benefits, a new study concludes. The research evaluates the ...
Mar. 26, 2025 — A new species of fossil is 444 million years-old with soft insides perfectly preserved. Research 'ultramarathon' saw palaeontologist puzzled by bizarre fossil for 25 ...
Mar. 26, 2025 — A study found when patients take the drug nitisinone, their blood becomes deadly to ...
Mar. 26, 2025 — While sneaking up on prey, cuttlefish employ a dynamic skin display to avoid detection in last moments of approach, researchers have ...
Mar. 26, 2025 — Can you imagine having a smartphone with a wooden touchscreen? Or a house with wooden windows? Probably not -- unless you've heard of transparent wood. Made by modifying wood's natural ...
Mar. 26, 2025 — Getting zapped with millions of volts of electricity may not sound like a healthy activity, but for some trees, it is. A new study reports that some tropical tree species are not only able to ...
Mar. 26, 2025 — Evolving roughly 27 different times in the long history of fish, bioluminescence -- the biological production of light -- is one of the flashier survival tools used for luring prey, communication, ...
Mar. 25, 2025 — Deep below the Earth's surface, rock and mineral formations lay hidden with a secret brilliance. Under a black light, the chemicals fossilized within shine in brilliant hues of pink, blue and ...
Mar. 25, 2025 — Life needs sufficient phosphorus. However, the element is scarce, not only today but also at the time of the origin of life. So where was there sufficient phosphorus four billion years ago for life ...
Mar. 24, 2025 — Researchers have discovered that chimpanzees living in Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania employ a degree of engineering when making their tools, deliberately choosing plants that provide ...
Mar. 24, 2025 — Scientists used light to control how a starfish egg cell jiggles and moves during its earliest stage of development. Their optical system could guide the design of synthetic, light-activated cells ...
Mar. 24, 2025 — New research is reshaping our understanding of one of nature's most stunning yet destructive phenomena -- massive locust swarms moving ...
Mar. 20, 2025 — A new study has discovered that birds in the Galapagos Islands are changing their behavior due to traffic noise, with those frequently exposed to vehicles showing heightened levels of aggression. ...
Mar. 20, 2025 — Fruit fly mutants that have severe sleep deficits perform better at olfactory learning and memory tasks, according to a new study. The paradox of enhanced memory despite sleep loss could be explained ...
Mar. 20, 2025 — Feathers, essential for thermoregulation, flight, and communication in birds, originate from simple appendages known as proto-feathers, which were present in certain dinosaurs.By studying embryonic ...
Thursday, April 10, 2025
Wednesday, April 2, 2025
- Monkeys Are World's Best Yodellers -- New Research
- Miso Made in Space Tastes Nuttier
- First Ancient Genomes from the Green Sahara Deciphered
Monday, March 31, 2025
Thursday, March 27, 2025
Wednesday, March 26, 2025
- New Species Revealed After 25 Years of Study on 'inside Out' Fossil -- And Named After Discoverer's Mum
- Rare Disease Drug Nitisinone Makes Human Blood Deadly to Mosquitoes
- Cuttlefish 'mesmerize' Their Prey With a Moving Skin Pattern, Study Finds
- Making Sturdy, Semi-Transparent Wood With Cheap, Natural Materials
- Getting Hit by Lightning Is Good for Some Tropical Trees
- New Study Shines a Light on the Mechanics of Bioluminescence in the Rare Fish Vinciguerria Mabahiss
Tuesday, March 25, 2025
- Fluorescent Caves Could Explain How Life Persists in Extraterrestrial Environments
- Were Large Soda Lakes the Cradle of Life?
Monday, March 24, 2025
- Chimpanzees Act as 'engineers', Choosing Materials to Make Tools Based on Structural and Mechanical Properties
- Scientists Engineer Starfish Cells to Shape-Shift in Response to Light
- New Research Reveals Secrets About Locust Swarm Movement
Thursday, March 20, 2025
- Galapagos Birds Exhibit 'road Rage' Due to Noise
- Insomniac Fruit Fly Mutants Show Enhanced Memory Despite Severe Sleep Loss
- From Dinosaurs to Birds: The Origins of Feather Formation
Wednesday, March 19, 2025
- Tiny Musky Rat-Kangaroos Hold the Key to Explain Why 'roos Hop
- Marine Animals Help Solve Ocean Issues
- Unknown Microorganisms Used Marble and Limestone as a Habitat
- Science Behind 'Polly Want a Cracker' Could Guide Future Treatment Design for Speech Disorders
- Squirrel-Inspired Leaping Robot Can Stick a Landing on a Branch
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
- Scientists Uncover Principles Underlying the Toxicity of 'selfish' Genes
- New Fossil Discovery Reveals How Volcanic Deposits Can Preserve the Microscopic Details of Animal Tissues
Monday, March 17, 2025
- RNA Origami: Artificial Cytoskeletons to Build Synthetic Cells
- Magnetic Microalgae on a Mission to Become Robots
- How a Hummingbird Chick Acts Like a Caterpillar to Survive
- How Big Brains and Flexible Skulls Led to the Evolution of Modern Birds
- Iguanas Floated One-Fifth of the Way Around the World to Colonize Fiji
Friday, March 14, 2025
Thursday, March 13, 2025
Wednesday, March 12, 2025
- Signs of Alien Life May Be Hiding in These Gases
- Scientists Develop Solar-Powered Method to Convert Sewage Sludge Into Green Hydrogen and Animal Feed
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
- Butterflies Choose Mates Because They Are More Attractive, Not Just Easier to See
- A 62-Million-Year-Old Skeleton Sheds Light on an Enigmatic Mammal
Monday, March 10, 2025
- Discovery: The Great Whale Pee Funnel Moves Vital Nutrients
- Intranasal Herpes Infection May Produce Neurobehavioral Symptoms
Sunday, March 9, 2025
Friday, March 7, 2025
Thursday, March 6, 2025
- Bacterial 'jumping Genes' Can Target and Control Chromosome Ends
- Study Raises the Possibility of a Country Without Butterflies
- Tracking Polar Bears During Their Most Secretive Stage of Life
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
- The Chances of Anything Coming from Mars
- Insect Populations Are Declining -- And That Is Not a Good Thing
- Packets of Freeze-Dried Bacteria Grow Biocement on Demand
- Iconic Australian Bird Reveals Hidden Farming Talent
Tuesday, March 4, 2025
- Amphibians Bounce-Back from Earth's Greatest Mass Extinction
- Giant Clone of Seaweed in the Baltic Sea
Monday, March 3, 2025
Friday, February 28, 2025
- New Device Could Allow You to Taste a Cake in Virtual Reality
- Drone Captures Narwhals Using Their Tusks to Explore, Forage and Play
Thursday, February 27, 2025
- The International Space Station Is Overly Sterile; Making It 'dirtier' Could Improve Astronaut Health
- When Birds Lose the Ability to Fly, Their Bodies Change Faster Than Their Feathers
- Can We Find Floating Vegetation on Ocean Planets?
Wednesday, February 26, 2025
- Eavesdropping on Whale Songs Sparks New Discoveries in Whale Ecology
- Feeding Anemone: Symbiote Fish Actively Feed Hosts in Wild
- Fish Teeth Show How Ease of Innovation Enables Rapid Evolution
Tuesday, February 25, 2025
- Humans Inherited Their Flexible Joints from the Earliest Jawed Fish
- Bite-Size Clue May Help Rediscover the Missing Desert Rat-Kangaroo
- 'Smarts' Count: Evolution of Intelligence
Monday, February 24, 2025
Friday, February 21, 2025
Thursday, February 20, 2025
- Predator Robots Help Researchers Uncover How Larval Zebrafish Rapidly Learn
- Researchers Outline New Approach for Better Understanding Animal Consciousness
- Big Birds Like Emus Are Technical Innovators, Study Shows
Wednesday, February 19, 2025
- For Success in Bioelectronics, Build With Nature-Inspired Design
- Bio-Hybrid Drone Uses Silkworm Moth Antennae to Navigate Using Smell
Tuesday, February 18, 2025
- Wild Fish Can Recognize Individual Divers
- Coffee Grounds and Reishi Mushroom Spores Can Be 3D Printed Into a Compostable Alternative to Plastics
- Scientists Decode Diet from Stool DNA -- No Questions Asked
Monday, February 17, 2025
- Near-Complete Skull Discovery Reveals 'top Apex', Leopard-Sized 'fearsome' Carnivore
- This Research Is Absolutely Nuts -- For Better Health Care
Friday, February 14, 2025
- Marine Mystery Solved: How Anemonefish Avoid Stings from Their Sea Anemone Hosts
- Under-Sea Mountains Are Key 'hubs' For Sharks
- Evidence of Play-Like Interaction With Carousel in Insects
Thursday, February 13, 2025
- Combining Millions of Years of Evolution With Tech Wizardry: The Cyborg Cockroach
- Scientists Herald Active Matter Breakthrough With Creation of Three-Dimensional 'synthetic Worms'
- Evolution, Evolution, Evolution: How Evolution Got So Good at Evolving
- Foraging Seals Enable Scientists to Measure Fish Abundance Across the Vast Pacific Ocean
- Birds Have Developed Complex Brains Independently from Mammals
Wednesday, February 12, 2025
- ChatGPT for Birdsong May Shed Light on How Language Is Wired in the Human Brain
- Antarctica's Only Native Insect's Unique Survival Mechanism
- Underwater Fossil Bed Discovered by Collectors Preserves Rare Slice of Florida's Past
- Masquerading Moth Deploys Unique Optical Tricks to Evade Predators
Tuesday, February 11, 2025
- International Shark Attack File Report: Unprovoked Shark Bites Plummeted in 2024
- 'I Can't Hear You, I'm Too Stressed': Repeated Stress in Mice Reduces Sound Perception
- Study Takes a 'bite' Out of Shark Depredation Using Citizen Science
Monday, February 10, 2025
- Influenza A Viruses Adapt Shape in Response to Environmental Pressures
- Boosting Evolution: How Humans Unintentionally Altered the Skulls of Pigs
- Anomaly in the Deep Sea
Friday, February 7, 2025
Thursday, February 6, 2025
- Some Species of Baleen Whales Avoid Attracting Killer Whales by Singing Too Low to Be Heard
- Novel 'living' Biomaterial Aims to Advance Regenerative Medicine
- Mantis Shrimp Clubs Filter Sound to Mitigate Damage