Biology

Do Other Animals Have Baby Teeth and More Questions From Our Readers

You asked, we answered

The olm, or cave dragon, is the largest cave-adapted animal in Europe. These strange creatures spend their entire lives in caves, and face threats from pollution runoff from agriculture and chemical plants on the surface.

Cave Dragons Exist—And Saving Them Could Be Key to Protecting Drinking Water

New DNA techniques are letting researchers track down the largest, strangest cave animals in the world

Small but mighty!

The Little Brown Bat’s Mighty Talent

Accounting for body size, the little brown bat lives longest of any mammal–but no one knows why

The sun may get all the attention, but our lunar lodestar helps creatures navigate the swells and tides of ocean life.

How Moonlight Sets Nature's Rhythms

Lunar luster triggers mating orgies, guides travelers and even can even provoke magical transformations

Why These Vegetarian Monkeys Have Sharp Predator Teeth

In the Ethiopian highlands, native Geladas have impressive canines despite being grass eaters. The reason is simple: The males need to defend themselves

Why Spider Monkeys Only Have Four Fingers

Unlike virtually every other primate, spider monkeys have no thumbs, which could snag on the branches

The orientation of the layers in this protective composite material were inspired by the queen conch shell

This Conch-Shell Inspired Material Could Make Helmets and Body Armor Safer

Scientists from MIT are using structures that evolved over millions of years to strengthen protective gear

This Human Feature Gives Squirrel Monkeys Their Precise Grip

Squirrel monkeys find it easy to leap fearlessly from one distant branch to another, some over 130 feet high. Their secret? Human-like fingerprints

Don't Be Jealous of These Oyster-Slurping Beach Monkeys

Long-tailed macaques spend much of the day frolicking on tropical sands and taking a dip in the ocean to cool off

Male deer grow these impressive face ornaments every year, in a cycle of life, death and itchiness.

Antlers Are Miraculous Face Organs That Could Benefit Human Health

There’s so much more to deer antlers than fighting and impressing the ladies

I can haz a sense of inequity?

Wolves and Dogs Both Have a Sense of Fairness

But wolves seem to take inequity much more seriously than dogs

Early shoots of thale cress sprout in their case of transparent gel on the space station. This is the same type of plant examined in this latest study for its "brain."

Seeds May Use Tiny "Brains" to Decide When to Germinate

Two clumps of cells send hormone signals to each other to help determine when the time has come to sprout

Why Do These Monkeys Have Such Outrageous Noses?

Proboscis monkeys may look ridiculous to us, but they are in fact perfectly adapted to their swamp surroundings

Sliver of Saint’s Brain Stolen From Italian Basilica

Police are looking for the person or persons who swiped the sacred relic from the Don Bosco Basilica

View looking south of the Jebel Irhoud site in Morocco, where the fossils were found

The Science Behind the Discovery of the Oldest Homo Sapien

We need both genetics and anthropology to solve the mysteries of human origins, says a researcher on the team

Don’t skimp on the SPF

How Sunscreen Protects Your Skin’s DNA

The chemistry behind this protective lotion reflects a modern understanding of the danger of ultraviolet rays

Jeremy the snail, with the baby of his unrequited lovers.

A Lonely Snail With an Unusual Shell Strikes Out in Love

Researchers brought Jeremy two potential partners who went on to mate with each other

The new sea turtle tanks have one-way glass to minimize visitor impact on the animals.

A State-of-the-Art Sea Turtle Hospital Welcomes Patients and Visitors in South Carolina

The South Carolina Aquarium invites tourists to visit their reptilian patients, watch surgeries and even conduct mock operations using VR

Researchers found that tadpole embryos were better able to fight off infection when their cells' natural electrical charge was manipulated.

Tweaking the Tiny Electrical Charges Inside Cells Can Fight Infection

It works in tadpoles. Could it work in humans?

DNA barcoding, as the name suggests, was designed to make identifying a species as simple as scanning a supermarket barcode.

The Key to Protecting Life on Earth May Be Barcoding It

An easier way to read DNA is helping scientists tease apart species and ecosystems in nuanced ways

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