Animals

Pandas Weren't Always Picky Eaters

A new study suggests the all-bamboo diet was adopted in the recent past, not millions of years ago

The team analyzed 135 squirrel specimens under visible and ultraviolet light

Flying Squirrels Glow Fluorescent Pink Under Ultraviolet Light

The bubblegum pink coloring could help New World flying squirrels navigate, communicate or blend into their environments

Sunflower sea stars in British Columbia, just weeks before wasting disease turned them to mush.

Why Almost All of the West Coast's Sunflower Sea Stars Have Wilted Away

A new study suggests most of the keystone predators have died off due to an unknown pathogen and increasing ocean temperatures

A rare, blue-eyed coyote

Rare Blue-Eyed Coyotes Spotted in California

Coyotes’ eyes are consistently golden-brown, so researchers have been surprised to learn of five California coyotes with piercing baby blues

Chickens Might Lay Your Future Prescriptions

Tests show cancer-fighting and immune-boosting proteins can be produced in the egg whites of genetically-modified cluckers

Please don't smooch or snuggle your hedgehog too much, CDC says.

CDC Cautions Against Kissing Pet Hedgehogs

The prickly critters have been linked to a recent salmonella outbreak

Rocking bed used in the human-centric study

Rocking Isn’t Just for Babies. It Helps Adults—and Mice—Fall Asleep, Too

Two new studies outline benefits including increased sleep quality, improved memory skills

Gemologist Brian Berger purchased the Indonesian opal last year

Gemologist Finds Insect Entombed in Opal Rather Than Amber

The unusual specimen appears to contain an open-mouthed insect complete with 'fibrous structures extending from the appendages'

The axolotl genome is the largest set of genetic instructions that has ever been fully sequenced, more than ten times larger than a human genome.

Complete Axolotl Genome Could Reveal the Secret of Regenerating Tissues

The aquatic salamander's genome is one of the most complex sets of genetic instructions in the world

New Study Showcases Three-Toed Sloth's Unsung Adaptability

Juvenile members of the so-called "specialized" herbivore species draw on a more diverse diet than previously believed

Researchers drilled into the depths of Lake Mercer with a pencil-sized nozzle that sprayed hot water

Trove of Tiny Ancient Animal Remains Recovered From Depths of Antarctic Ice

The crustaceans and tardigrade, or water bear, were found around a kilometer below the surface of the subglacial Lake Mercer

The Last Wild Caribou of the Lower 48 Has Been Placed in Captivity

It will soon be released into another herd, but scientists do not know if caribou will even again inhabit the contiguous United States

Beach primrose, Oenothera drummondii.

Flowers Sweeten Up When They Sense Bees Buzzing

A new study suggests plants can 'hear' the humming of nearby pollinators and increase their sugar content in response

Baby wombat and mother on Maria Island.

You Can Visit This Australian Island, but Only if You Pledge to Skip the Wombat Selfie

The marsupials on Maria Island are so docile, tourism officials are asking the public to stop getting so close

Meet Juliet, a Sehuencas water frog recently collected from the Bolivian cloud forest.

A Year Later, Match.com Profile Pays Off for World's Loneliest Frog

The 2018 Valentine's Day stunt raised funds for an expedition that located five new Sehuencas water frogs, including a mate for lonesome Romeo

Scientists Use AI to Decode the Ultrasonic Language of Rodents

The DeepSqueak software translates the high-pitched communication into sonograms, which can be analyzed to determine what mice and rats are saying

R.I.P., George.

A Hawaiian Snail Named George, Believed to Be the Last of His Species, Has Died

His death highlights a larger concern: Scientists estimate that 90 percent of terrestrial snail diversity on the Hawaiian Islands has been lost

The Galveston pack carries red wolf DNA previously thought to be lost forever

Pack of Wild Dogs in Texas Carry DNA of Nearly Extinct Red Wolf

Red wolves were declared extinct in the wild in 1980, but a new study suggests the species’ DNA lives on in a pack of Texan canines

Budgie love triangles are more complex than you might think

When Choosing a Mate, These Female Birds Prefer Brains Over Beauty or Brawn

After observing initially scorned male budgies performing complex cognitive tasks, females shifted mating preferences

What Llama-Poop-Eating Mites Tell Us About the Rise and Fall of the Inca Empire

Lake-dwelling mite populations boomed at the height of the Andean civilization but dropped following the arrival of Spanish conquistadors

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