Biology

Nov 27th, 2025 - Follow Earth on Google In Guatemala's Maya Biosphere Reserve, four wild cat species avoid competition by staking out different vertical tiers of the forest, from the ground-dwelling jaguar to the treetop-moving margay. A new study led by Oregon State University shows that each species leans on a different "floor" of the rainforest, with some prowling the leaf litter and others targeting prey in the trees.  "This research challenges long-held assumptions about how large carnivores coexist ... [Read More]

Nov 27th, 2025 - Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. . I t's a universal fact that as any 3-D object, from a Platonic sphere to a cell to an elephant, grows outward in all directions, its total surface area will increase more slowly than the space it occupies (its volume). If the object's geometry and shape remain the same as it gets bigger, then its surface area will increase roughly as fast as its volume to the two-thirds power. For centuries, biologists have wondered if life forms, too, follow this ... [Read More]

Nov 27th, 2025 - Chytrid fungus is a scourge to global amphibian populations, but before it kills some frogs, it can produce symptoms that may help the infected animals find mates and spread the fungus further Chytrid fungus is a deadly pathogen plaguing amphibians in an ongoing global pandemic, with the potential to kill off entire populations. But in one threatened Australian frog species, the infection has an unusual side effect: huge hops. Verreaux's alpine tree frogs ( Litoria verreauxii alpina ) that are ... [Read More]

Nov 27th, 2025 - Scientists are digging into one of evolution's strangest puzzles — why only certain creatures developed minds that know they exist. Consciousness is the strangest thing evolution ever pulled off. It's not a trait like wings or fur, but rather something that exists solely as a product of the mind. For the longest time, we've treated consciousness as humanity's private club — no entry for creatures without language or a big, folded cortex. But science is starting to catch up to ... [Read More]

Nov 26th, 2025 - Follow Earth on Google The deep sea often challenges our ideas about how life evolves. Some creatures carry stories that stretch across unimaginable time. The vampire squid sits among these quiet survivors. Its soft body and drifting lifestyle hide a complex past written in its genome. A new study now brings that history into view, revealing how this species links the worlds of squids and octopuses . Vampire squid reveals family story Researchers sequenced the vampire squid genome and uncovered ... [Read More]

Nov 26th, 2025 - Newly discovered fossils prove that a mysterious foot found in Ethiopia belongs to a little-known, recently named ancient human relative. Newly discovered fossils prove that a mysterious foot found in Ethiopia belongs to a little-known, recently named ancient human relative who lived alongside the species of the famous Lucy, scientists said Wednesday. The discovery is the latest twist in the tale of human evolution and could even cast some doubt on the status of Lucy's species, Australopithecus ... [Read More]

Nov 26th, 2025 - Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. . A ustralia has some tough nuts to crack. But to some species of rat kangaroo, busting into the extremely hard seeds of the sandalwood and quandong trees down under is all in a night's work. Commonly called "bettongs" (genus Bettongia ), these nocturnal marsupials scurry around at night foraging on these seeds, as well as roots, leaves, grubs, fruits, and fungi. In a new study published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society , researchers ... [Read More]

Nov 26th, 2025 - Home to scenic cities like Porto, Aveiro and Lisbon, Portugal has earned widespread acclaim for its eye-catching architecture and rich cultural heritage—but it's not just humans that call this country home. From the depths of the Azores to the peaks of the Serra da Estrela, Portugal is also brimming with a wealth of native mammals, birds and reptiles, several of which are endemic to the country. As you plan your next trip to Western Europe, the following regions offer a glimpse into the ... [Read More]

Nov 25th, 2025 - Australia is home to extraordinary reptiles and frogs, from giant lace monitors to tiny alpine froglets. Over 1,100 reptiles and 250 frog species are found across the Australian continent and islands. But we are losing them. So far, one of Australia's reptiles has become extinct, the delicate Christmas Island forest skink. And seven frogs are thought to be lost forever, including the only two species of gastric brooding frog – famous for their ability to brood their young in the female's ... [Read More]

Nov 25th, 2025 - Follow Earth on Google Scientists have discovered a new species of slender wolf snake on a remote island in India's Nicobar archipelago. Glossy black and growing to about 3 feet long, the snake has been named Irwin's wolf snake. Its scientific name, Lycodon irwini , honors Australian conservationist Steve Irwin. "His passion and dedication to wildlife education and conservation have inspired naturalists and conservationists worldwide, including the authors of this paper," wrote the researchers. ... [Read More]

Nov 25th, 2025 - Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. . I f you were traversing the ancient Tethys ocean some 115 million years ago and encountered gigantic lamniform sharks, you'd most definitely need a bigger boat. Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Lamniformes, an order of sharks that includes the great white of Jaws infamy, evolved around 135 million years ago and may have begun as wee, shallow water-dwelling creatures—around 3 feet long. But over time, they evolved into massive, ... [Read More]

Nov 25th, 2025 - Follow Earth on Google A newly described carnivorous reptile from southern Brazil is the kind of animal most people would casually label a dinosaur – but it wasn't. Tainrakuasuchus bellator belongs to Pseudosuchia, the ancient lineage that ultimately gave rise to today's crocodiles and alligators. The beast prowled the Triassic some 240 million years ago, just before dinosaurs rose to dominance. Covered with armored plates and built for quick strikes, it adds a fierce new character to a ... [Read More]

Nov 24th, 2025 - It's quick and easy to access Live Science Plus, simply enter your email below. We'll send you a confirmation and sign you up for our daily newsletter, keeping you up to date with the latest science news. QUICK FACTS Milestone: Fossil "Lucy" discovered When: Nov. 24, 1974 Where: Hadar, Ethiopia Who: Anthropologists Donald Johanson and Tom Gray More than 50 years ago, two anthropologists were digging in Hadar, Ethiopia, when they spotted something glinting in a gully. What they found would ... [Read More]

Nov 24th, 2025 - Artificial walkways in the Amazon rainforest aren't only being used by researchers and tourists to safely traverse the canopy. It turns out that these passages are also convenient for the local wildlife. A series of camera traps monitored one walkway in particular, and found that animals used it 41 times over a course of three weeks. This research was published in the journal   under the title "Arboreal mammal use of canopy walkway bridges in an Amazonian forest with continuous canopy ... [Read More]

Nov 24th, 2025 - Nowhere in the ocean is now left untouched by a type of "forever chemicals" called "per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances", known simply as PFAS . Our new research shows PFAS contaminate a far wider range of whales and dolphins than previously thought, including deep-diving species that live well beyond areas of human activity. But most surprising of all, where an animal lives does not predict its exposure. Instead, sex and age are stronger predictors of how much of these pollutants a whale or ... [Read More]

Nov 24th, 2025 - Analysis of the DNA and proteins of a range of animals has revealed that sperm's molecular toolkit arose in our single-celled ancestors, perhaps more than a billion years ago The evolutionary origin of sperm can be traced back to a single-celled ancestor of all living animals. Almost all animals reproduce by having a single-celled stage of their life cycle, involving two types of sex cells, or gametes. Eggs are larger cells containing genetic material and the resources for early development, ... [Read More]