California condors are a critically endangered species, with only a little more than 500 left alive. However, a new study reveals that these vulnerable birds are capable of a rare ability: virgin births, or parthenogenesis. “This is truly an amazing discovery,” study co-author and Kleberg Endowed Director of Conservation Genetics at San Diego Zoo Wildlife […]
By Charles Emogor The white-bellied pangolin is one of eight evolutionary distinct pangolin species split equally between Africa and Asia. They’re among the very few mammals with scales and have a tongue that, when pulled out of its cavity, is longer than their entire body, which measures about 30 inches. These gentle and somewhat quirky […]
By Malavika Vyawahare “Tell me what you eat, and I shall tell you what you are,” the French lawyer Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin wrote in his 1826 opus, Physiologie du Goût. This is quite literally the case, scientists decoding the human body have found. Now, an analysis of chemical signatures in human hair and nails shows […]
By Nate Seltenrich Synthetic dyes used as colorants in many common foods and drinks can negatively affect attention and activity in children, according to a comprehensive review of existing evidence published this month by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA). Funded by the California legislature in 2018, the new report involved a […]
By John R. Platt Spiders need our help, and we may need to overcome our biases and fears to make that happen. “The feeling that people have towards spiders is not unique,” says Marco Isaia, an arachnologist and associate professor at the University of Turin in Italy. “Nightmares, anxieties and fears are very frequent reactions […]
What is the world’s most Instagrammable bird? It turns out science has the answer. In a study published last week, researchers in Germany analyzed more than 27,000 bird photos posted on the popular social media platform to determine Instagram’s “most aesthetically pleasing bird.” Researchers concluded the surprising winner is the frogmouth, an unusual-looking nocturnal bird […]
By John R. Platt Humans and whales have a complex relationship. We’ve hunted whales for food for centuries, celebrated them in our art and culture, admired their familial relationships and songs, and even worshipped them as gods. But at the same time, we’ve overhunted multiple whale species to the brink of extinction, overfished their prey, […]
By Julia Conley The United Nations will release a report next month on methane, calling for a reduction in emissions of the main component of natural gas to play a greater role in fighting the climate crisis—a step that could result in relatively rapid benefits for public health and the climate, according to scientists. The […]
A research team at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California (UC), Berkeley has found a way to make biodegradable plastics actually disappear. While biodegradable plastics have been touted as a solution to plastic pollution, in practice they don’t work as advertised. “Biodegradability does not equal […]
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