Spiders literally creeping out of your walls may sound like a Halloween movie, but it was reality for one Missouri family: They were forced to move after more than 4,000 venomous spiders infested their home. For several years the Trost family of Weldon Spring had seen brown recluse spiders coming out of the fireplace, the blinds, the pantry ceiling, even the shower, according…
A female fly’s previous sexcapades can have a profound effect on how her future children look, redefining the way scientists think about inheritance in insects. Researchers at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, discovered that a mother’s first sexual partner can determine the size of her later offspring, even if he didn’t…
Talk about lending a helping “fin”—groupers and eels in a coral reef work together to catch prey, a new study says. Previously, scientists had thought only humans and chimpanzees collaborated in this way, suggesting that teamwork may be more widespread in the animal kingdom than thought. (Also see “Groupers Use Gestures to Recruit Morays For Hunting…
Skunk spray is so potent that it can knock you out or even kill you—and now we know why the North American mammals evolved the noxious stuff. Skunks are nocturnal, and their predators rely heavily on scent to navigate in the dark. But skunks evolved a counterattack: Their foul and damaging spray foils would-be attackers, according…
Skunk spray is so potent that it can knock you out or even kill you—and now we know why the North American mammals evolved the noxious stuff. Skunks are nocturnal, and their predators rely heavily on scent to navigate in the dark. But skunks evolved a counterattack: Their foul and damaging spray foils would-be attackers, according…
Talk about a crappy meal: The leopard tree iguana feeds her newborns feces, according to new research. Found only in the Chilean Andes, Liolaemus leopardinus moms shove off just 24 hours after delivery, leaving their brood poop for a snack, according to new research led by Stanley Fox at Oklahoma State University. (Also see “Talking Poop With Author of…
The American Association for the Advancement of Science wrote about the connection between TUDCA and bear bile in its press release concerning type 1 diabetes. The association has since removed this reference. Bear bile has a historical and contextual relationship to the research discussed within this article, and our story is still accurate as it stands. Harvard…
The American Association for the Advancement of Science wrote about the connection between TUDCA and bear bile in its press release concerning type 1 diabetes. The association has since removed this reference. Bear bile has a historical and contextual relationship to the research discussed within this article, and our story is still accurate as it stands. Harvard…
Forget circumnavigating the globe in 80 days—an albatross can do it in a mere 46! These world travelers are among the largest flying birds, weighing up to 25 pounds (11 kilograms), and with a wingspan of 11 feet (3 meters). But hefting such huge bodies off the ground takes a lot of energy. If albatrosses…
Forget circumnavigating the globe in 80 days—an albatross can do it in a mere 46! These world travelers are among the largest flying birds, weighing up to 25 pounds (11 kilograms), and with a wingspan of 11 feet (3 meters). But hefting such huge bodies off the ground takes a lot of energy. If albatrosses…
It’s fall, and that means squirrels are hurriedly securing food for the winter—and so is another creature, the parasitic botfly. As forest animals scurry about transferring nuts from one hiding place to another, they’re also unknowingly carrying this parasite, which tunnels through squirrel flesh, causing swollen protrusions like the one pictured below. These inflamed tubules…
It’s fall, and that means squirrels are hurriedly securing food for the winter—and so is another creature, the parasitic botfly. As forest animals scurry about transferring nuts from one hiding place to another, they’re also unknowingly carrying this parasite, which tunnels through squirrel flesh, causing swollen protrusions like the one pictured below. These inflamed tubules…
It’s almost Halloween, and the streets will soon be overrun with the undead—carrying trick-or-treat bags, of course. But the animal kingdom is full of these tricksters 24/7. Check out five animals that play dead to stay alive. A Watery Grave Worried about shark attacks? Some experts say that punching a shark near the eyes will…
It’s almost Halloween, and the streets will soon be overrun with the undead—carrying trick-or-treat bags, of course. But the animal kingdom is full of these tricksters 24/7. Check out five animals that play dead to stay alive. A Watery Grave Worried about shark attacks? Some experts say that punching a shark near the eyes will…
It’s almost Halloween, and the streets will soon be overrun with the undead—carrying trick-or-treat bags, of course. But the animal kingdom is full of these tricksters 24/7. Check out five animals that play dead to stay alive. A Watery Grave Worried about shark attacks? Some experts say that punching a shark near the eyes will…