Bumblebees buzz from flower to flower, stopping for a moment under a clear blue Minnesota sky.
Males of newly described Australian burrowing scorpions have a big tail to tell
A study has found some surprising features in two new species of burrowing scorpions, including a very strangely shaped 'tail tip' and some 'sexy' anatomy features. Terrestrial biologists have taken a closer look at two new species of the mysterious Urodacus genus of burrowing scorpions endemic to Australia -- only...
Spider venom heart drug a step closer
A molecule sourced from funnel web spider venom shows promise as a safe and effective future drug for heart attacks.
Study throws our understanding of gene regulation for a loop
To function properly, the genetic material is highly organized into loop structures that often bring together widely separated sections of the genome critical to the regulation of gene activity. Scientists now address how these loops can help repress or silence gene activity, with potentially far-reaching effects on human health.
Woolly mammoth movements tied to earliest Alaska hunting camps
Researchers have linked the travels of a 14,000-year-old woolly mammoth with the oldest known human settlements in Alaska, providing clues about the relationship between the iconic species and some of the earliest people to travel across the Bering Land Bridge. Isotopic data, along with DNA from other mammoths at the...
From dawn of time to dusk — our evolutionary ability to perceive time in art
Scientists have shown that people are able to tell apart morning from evening depictions in paintings using simple and subtle color clues in the image.
Study uncovers mechanics of machete-like ‘tail-whipping’ in thresher sharks
Like Indiana Jones, thresher sharks have mastered the art of the whip using their tails. Now, new research provides intricate details showing that vertebrae anatomy might support the mechanics of extreme body bending in thresher sharks, enabling these expert hunters to weaponize their tails. Using micro-CT scanning similar to CAT...
Climate change threatens global forest carbon sequestration, study finds
Climate change is causing Western U.S. forests to be less effective carbon sinks, even as it boosts the productivity of forests in the Eastern U.S., according to new research.
Toxic Algae Blooms: Study Assesses Possible Health Hazards to Humans
Florida’s 156-mile-long Indian River Lagoon (IRL) borders five different counties and has five inlets that connect the lagoon with the Atlantic Ocean.
Wristband Monitors Provide Detailed Account of Air Pollution Exposure
Environmental epidemiologists at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, in collaboration with an interdisciplinary team of researchers at Oregon State University, Pacific Northwest National Labs, and Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, report on the findings of a new study of air pollution exposures collected using personal wristband monitors worn...