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Some Hummingbirds Evolved Bills That Make Them Better at Fighting—but Worse at Feeding
A new study adds complexity to the notion that hummingbirds are ‘all about drinking efficiently from flowers,’ as one researcher puts it
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Could These Fossils Push Back the History of Flowers?
A study analyzing 200 tiny flowers from 174 million years ago suggests angiosperms were around during the Jurassic, but paleobotanists are skeptical
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Tourists Are Getting Too Close to Volcanoes
Visitors to Iceland’s volcanoes are ignoring the rules, many to get the perfect selfie
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What Is a Shark Tooth Doing in the Neck of a Flying Pterosaur?
A new study suggests that the winged reptile fell prey to a hungry predator lurking in the water
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DNA Can Help Repatriate the Remains of Aboriginal Australians
A new study was able to match genetic material of ancient remains to the DNA of living Aboriginal communities
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Cardinals in Different Regions Could Actually Be Distinct Species, Their Songs Suggest
Populations of the ubiquitous red bird have different calls and genetics in the American southwest
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Cliquey Adriatic Dolphins May Have Strategies for Avoiding Each Other
You can’t swim with us
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Past Global Flood Shows Antarctica’s Ice Is More Fragile Than We Thought
Data indicates the West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapsed after a small rise in temperature, meaning sea level could rise faster than predicted
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A Dracula Ant’s Snapping Jaw Is the Fastest Known Appendage in the Animal Kingdom
A new study found that the ant can snap its mandibles at a speed of up to 200 miles per hour—5,000 times faster than the blink of an eye
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Meet Farout, the Solar System’s Most Distant Minor Planet
Observations suggest the object is 300 miles in diameter, pinkish-red and 3.5 times as far away from the sun as Pluto
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Biologists Describe Legendary, Two-Foot-Long Salamander for the First Time
The reticulated siren was known locally as a ‘leopard eel’ until two researchers tracked it down and revealed its true identity
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Solar Probe Sends Back First Image and Data From the Sun
The Parker Solar Probe survived its first swoop around our star and will get even closer on its next two dozen trips
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Arctic Ice Is Retreating and Reindeer Are Going With It
Herds in Canada, the U.S. and Russia have dropped by over half in 20 years—and some may not recover
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A City Frog’s Love Song Attracts More Mates Than Countryside Croaks
Fewer predators and heightened competition for mates allowed urban tungara frogs to add more notes and frills to their calls, with big results Read more: h
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Fruit Flies First Began Feeding on Our Fresh Produce About 10,000 Years Ago
It turns out the insects love marula fruit found in south-central Africa, which attracted them to human caves
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Satellite Data Detects Hundreds of New Sources of Ammonia Pollution
Detailed data shows livestock operations and fertilizers plants are major sources of the pollutant
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Lonesome George the Giant Tortoise’s DNA Reveals Cancer-Fighting and Longevity Genes
The iconic reptile and last Pinta Island tortoise passed in 2012, but a new look at his DNA is helping researchers understand genetics
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No, Wait, This Is the Real Ava, a Bronze Age Woman From the Scottish Highlands
New DNA evidence drastically changes the image of the young woman buried in Caithness 4,250 years ago
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Evidence Suggests Humans Reached “Roof of the World” 40,000 Years Ago
Over 3,000 stone tools show human presence in Tibetan plateau 20,000 years before previously thought
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