Nature

Our home planet is seeming more like a jawbreaker the more we learn about its interior. A new analysis of Earth’s innards suggests the presence of an inner core within the inner core – a dense ball of iron at the very center of our planet. This could reveal some previously unknown details about the

By listening to the echo of earthquakes bouncing about inside our planet, we can make a good guess at what’s inside Earth without slicing it up. Unfortunately seismic waves often have inconsistencies that scientists are yet to fully understand. One source of variability occurs in low-density pockets of material some 3,000 kilometers (just under 1,900

Vultures, hyenas, and Tasmanian devils are highly efficient scavengers, able to locate and consume carrion rapidly, including the meat and bones. When we think of scavengers, these large carnivores are what comes to mind – not brushtail possums. So it came as a surprise when these Australian marsupials turned out to be one of the

Seven new funnel web spider species have been found emerging in caves in Israel, and they’re all in various stages of losing their vision. In Charles Darwin’s famous example of adaptation, a population of finches split apart on different islands gradually drifted from their shared ancestral form, to the point they came to represent distinct

Great white sharks are at the top of the ocean food chain with very few natural predators. Still, life isn’t all roses for the apex predator, who still need to cope with the rough and tumble of others of their kind. As with many other shark species, however, great whites have the power to heal

Dare to get close enough to a snake of some kind, you’ll quickly notice there’s no sign of an ear for you to whisper into. Not a flap, flop, or furrow to be seen. So you might be mistaken to thinking they’re a little hard of hearing. “Snakes are very vulnerable, timid creatures that hide

While most of us take the ground beneath our feet for granted, written within its complex layers, like the pages of a book, is Earth’s history. Our history. Research shows there are little-known chapters in that history, deep within Earth’s past. In fact, Earth’s inner core appears to have another even more inner core within

The possibility that communication networks of fungi exist connecting forest ecosystems in a ‘wood-wide web‘ has increasingly gained attention among researchers in recent decades. Yet it might be more hype than hyphae, according to a perspective recently published in Nature Ecology & Evolution. Three biologists from the University of Alberta and University of British Columbia

Without the buzzing, fluttering, scuttling or creeping crawlies our world would be in strife. Yet we don’t even know some of the most basic things about these arthropods like butterflies, spiders and centipedes, such as how many of these important components of our world’s biosphere are even out there. So researchers crunched some numbers to

Prickly pear cacti, which normally appear in hot, dry climates such as the Grand Canyon, are invading the Swiss Alps in a new climate change warning “A lover of dry and hot climates, this invasive and non-native plant is not welcome,” the municipality of Fully announced as part of an uprooting drive at the end

Without convenient access to phones for pens for letter-writing, wolves must rely on howls to communicate long distances. These woeful wails allow the social mammals to maintain their territories as well as keep track of and stay in synchrony with other pack members. While dogs (Canis familiaris) are descendants of wolves (Canis lupus), some dogs

If you think you have trouble telling when someone’s into you, just be grateful you’re not a giraffe. Like many even-toed hoofed animals such as goats and antelope, male giraffes need to analyse a female giraffe’s pee to figure out if they’re receptive to baby-making. Unfortunately reaching the ground to sniff at puddles of urine

Scientists just discovered a scary new fact about the most dangerous mushroom in the world. It’s not reproducing like it used to, and it could be helping it move into new areas. Mushrooms are infamous for their poisonous nature, and yet in reality, most only cause temporary physical discomfort when eaten by humans. Of all

An extremely large earthquake has occurred in the southeast of Türkiye, near the border with Syria. Data from seismometers which measure shaking of the ground caused by earthquake waves suggest this this event was a magnitude 7.8 out of 10 on the moment magnitude scale. Seismic waves were picked up by sensors around the world

In the Early Jurassic, before the mass extinction event that brought about the demise of most dinosaurs, the ancestors of crocodiles had a whole bunch of relatives living in the sea. Researchers have found the oldest fossils yet of these ancient marine predators in the United Kingdom and Morocco. They say the remains hint at

Life finds a way: Geneticists have created disease-resistant catfish using alligator DNA – and they may one day become a part of our diet. A group of scientists at Auburn University published a paper in January detailing their efforts to genetically modify catfish with the cathelicidin gene of an alligator. Cathelicidin, found in the intestines,

Variations in the SARS-CoV-2 virus that have not been detected in human beings for some time are still going strong in animal populations – specifically, in the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) roaming across the state of New York in the US, a new study reveals. What’s more, the viral sequences recovered from the deer show

What scientists know of our planet is mostly skin deep, giving us just the barest understanding of how geological forces cause the fractured crust to bump and grind against itself. Just recently, researchers discovered something new about the layer of partially molten rock that sits just beneath Earth’s cold outer skin, and it could help

The Sun gives life to our planet through its rays, and yet some fascinating lifeforms don’t need light to live. Instead of using photosynthesis to store energy in their chemical bonds, some microbes rely purely on the oxidation of inorganic molecules like hydrogen to do the trick. Chemosynthesis, as it’s known, was speculated as a

The ancient Bhimbetka rock shelters in India are crucial to understanding the subcontinent’s geological history, but dating them is difficult due to a lack of fossils. Researchers were therefore excited to find evidence of the Dickinsonia creature in the caves in 2020, fixing their age at around 550 million years. However, a new study reveals

Orca whales are some of the most contaminated marine mammals in the world. The species are full of chemicals – from “highly toxic and carcinogenic” PCBs to the infamous insecticide DDT. Now, a group of scientists has discovered another chemical of concern – and it’s associated with toilet paper. Scientists at the University of British

Living in an arid region is a precarious business. Harsh conditions make growing tough for plants, meaning every shoot and leaf is all the more precious, even when they’re dead and decaying. A new study conducted at Boolcoomatta Station Reserve in outback South Australia has demonstrated the importance of vegetative leftovers in fueling a desert

The adorable, white-spotted pink-nosed marsupial that lives in the top half of Australia would rather die than miss out on sex. During its brief mating window, the males run themselves ragged – then die from exhaustion, a study led by the University of the Sunshine Coast suggests. The study compared the activity of male and

Paleontologist Matt Friedman was surprised to discover a remarkably detailed 319-million-year-old fish brain fossil while testing out micro-CT scans for a broader project. “It had all these features, and I said to myself, ‘Is this really a brain that I’m looking at?'” says Friedman from University of Michigan. “So, I zoomed in on that region

The link between ancient volcanic eruptions and the most severe extinction event the world has ever seen just got even stronger. A new analysis of mercury isotopes has provided evidence that a quarter of a billion years ago, far-flung places in Earth’s Southern Hemisphere were blanketed with debris from volcanic eruptions in Siberia. The so-called

The violent fingers of electricity that struck a sand dune in Nebraska have left behind a configuration of crystal rarely found in nature. Inside a piece of fulgurite – or ‘fossilized lightning‘ – created by a powerful bolt of electricity traveling into and fusing sand, scientists have found a quasicrystal, an arrangement of matter once

In most ways, HBO’s new series The Last of Us depicts a classic zombie apocalypse. One morning, everybody is going about their normal life. There’s a mention on the radio of chaos in Jakarta. And by nightfall, twitchy, possessed once-humans are sprinting after the main character. This time, though, it’s a fungus turning people into

The genetic make-up of the iconic Australian black swan (Cygnus atratus) leaves it extremely vulnerable to viruses such as avian flu, research from the University of Queensland reports. The threat is thought to be so severe that it could wipe out the species entirely. The discovery comes after the distinctive bird’s genome was sequenced for

Have you ever worried if the play between your cats was getting too rough? A new study published in Scientific Reports has investigated play and fighting in cats. Their aim was to use simple behaviors anyone could observe to work out what was play and what might lead to fights. This is important because the

A bizarre spatula-billed pterosaur with ridiculous amounts of teeth has been discovered in a German quarry. Its unique facial anatomy suggests it shares feeding traits seen in today’s ducks and whales. While Pterodaustro from Argentina may have even more teeth, this newly discovered species’s mouth protrusions are strangely long and thin in comparison. The researchers

Close to the summit of an underwater mountain west of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a jagged landscape of towers rises from the gloom. Their creamy carbonate walls and columns appear ghostly blue in the light of a remotely operated vehicle sent to explore. They range in height from tiny stacks the size of toadstools to a

When a new island arose from the South Pacific in 2015, it created an unprecedented opportunity not just for geologists and volcanologists, but for biologists and ecologists, too. The appearance of a new island offers a chance to learn about how ecosystems begin, starting with microbial pioneers that colonize new land like this, before plants

While some dog breeds have unfortunate reputations for being more aggressive than others, veterinarians and other animal experts have long been skeptical about this. A new study of 665 domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) in Brazil also points towards factors other than breed having stronger influences over this ‘problematic’ behavior. “The results highlight something we’ve been

Caecilians aren’t exactly your run-of-the-mill amphibian. Limbless, toothed, and worm-like, they spend their life burrowing through the soil, sensing the world with tentacles that protrude from between their eyes. Little is known about these evasive creatures, or how they evolved. Fossils of only 11 species of ancestral caecilians have ever been found, so our understanding

The slice of ocean squeezed between Florida and the Bahamas is one of the most well-studied marine environments in the world, and yet it’s also the epicenter of a lasting geological mystery. Since at least the 1930s, scientists in the region have noticed strange, billowing white clouds appearing in the turquoise tranquility of the water’s

Some species of carnivorous pitcher plant, Nepenthes, have switched from capturing and digesting insects to absorbing animal poop for their daily dose of nutrients – and it’s a switch that’s proving very beneficial. These botanical poop eaters are managing to take in more nitrogen through their diet adaptation than other Nepenthes that snack on prey,

Few of us give much thought to Earth’s swirling, spinning contents until some sudden movement, an earthquake or a volcanic eruption, jolts us to our senses. Geoscientists, though, are a little more clued into the dynamics of Earth’s guts, and have just discovered that Earth’s solid inner iron core – which usually spins within a

Australian rangers have killed an invasive “monster” cane toad discovered in the wilds of a coastal park – a warty brown specimen as long as a human arm and weighing 2.7 kilograms (6 pounds). The toad was spotted after a snake slithering across a track forced wildlife workers to stop as they were driving in

There is no sea creature whose name inspires terror – rightly or wrongly – as much as the great white shark. With its sleek body optimized for hunting, its sharp teeth, and its (somewhat undeserved) reputation for enjoying human flesh, the great white (Carcharodon carcharias) is widely regarded as one of the ocean’s top predators.

A pair of scuba divers has captured rare video and photos of a 2.5-meter (eight-foot) giant squid swimming in the waters off Japan’s west coast. Earlier this month, Yosuke Tanaka and his wife Miki, who operate a diving business in Toyooka city in the Hyogo region, were alerted to the squid by a fishing equipment

A strange example of an ancient invertebrate known as a trilobite may have used the distinctive trident-like structure on its head to ‘joust’ for the right to mate with females, flipping rivals over on the sea bed to put them out of action. Researchers from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania in the US and the Natural

When the mercury drops, mammals like us have an advantage over so-called cold-blooded critters; our muscles can act as furnaces, generating the heat needed to keep our body temperature stable by turning fuel into movement. But even when relaxed, our muscles can continue to produce heat – a trick called muscle-based thermogenesis. As you sit

On a hot day in the Australian outback, a koala hugs the cool branches of a eucalypt, while a wombat hides underground in its burrow, and a kangaroo spits on its wrists to chill its blood vessels. Nearer the coast, a fur seal on the rocks pees on its flippers. The echidna is different. It

Sloths are surprisingly stronger than their adorably dopey expressions suggest, which makes sense given they live their lives dangling from trees literally by their bony fingernails. Puzzlingly, in spite of using all four limbs to grip onto branches, sloths seem to be extra strong on their left side compared to their right. New York Institute

A new study suggests Tyrannosaurus rex had the brains to match its brawn. According to neuroanatomist Suzana Herculano-Houzel, the predatory dinosaurs with tiny arms that are often described as dim-witted dopes might have been as brainy as modern monkeys – or at least had a comparable number of brain cells. Not all paleontologists are convinced,

The animal world is full of delightfully odd genitals, from argonauts that detach their own sperm-bearing arm and send it off to find a female to mate with, to echidna males with four tipped penises. Some insects have even weaponized their genitals to fight predators. In another stand-out arrangement, male and female cave-dwelling barklice Neotrogla

What do a little penguin, a baby rabbit, a black rat, and a Krefft’s glider have in common? They’ve all been presented to me (when dead) by my animal companions. Chances are, if you live with a cat or dog, you’ve also been brought something similar. So, is it a gift, are they showing off,

Researchers believe that ancient stone tools discovered in Brazil are the work of capuchin monkeys, not early humans, the art and design website Artnet reported, citing an academic article. “We are confident that the early archeological sites from Brazil may not be human-derived but may belong to capuchin monkeys,” wrote archaeologist Agustín M. Agnolín and