Biology News

Smelly organic compounds from male cats are actually made not by the animals, but by bacteria living in their anal sacs, according to new research reported...

The electric eel (Electrophorus electricus) has long been assumed to be one species, but an international team of scientists has now discovered there are...

Human languages are comprised of meaningful words, which themselves are built from different combinations of meaningless sounds, or building blocks. A...

An international team of researchers has announced the results of investigations into the environmental DNA (eDNA) present in Loch Ness, a large freshwater...

For the small mammals foraging on the forest floor, reading your environment is essential to survival. When a hawk calls, a gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)...

The blue-banded sea snake (Hydrophis cyanocinctus) uses a complex system of large blood vessels in its head to draw in extra oxygen when it dives and swims...

According to a study published in the journal eNeuro (bioRxiv.org preprint), changes in vibration-sensitive neurons may equip forager honeybees for waggle...

Carrion crows (Corvus corone), a species of songbird in the family of Corvidae, can voluntarily control the release and onset of their calls, suggesting...

New Caledonian crows (Corvus moneduloides) are well-known for their sophisticated tool use. According to a new study, these birds behave optimistically...

Pollen-borne microbes represent an important protein source for larval bees, according to new research. Newly-hatched blue mason bee larvae feeding on...

Azteca alfari, a tropical ant species found in North and South Americas, is better at limiting pathogenic microbes in its nest chambers than humans, according...

Reef manta rays (Mobula alfredi) form social bonds and actively choose their social partners, according to a study by researchers from the Marine Megafauna...

Methanoliparia, a species of archaea from deep-sea oil seeps of the Gulf of Mexico, splits long-chain hydrocarbons into methane and carbon dioxide, according...

Each spring and fall, millions of birds switch to migrating at night. Most of these are small songbirds migrating long distances that need to alternate...

An international team of biologists has discovered and described a new species of medicinal leech living in the freshwater wetlands of the eastern United...

A team of scientists at Karolinska Institutet has discovered a previously unknown meshlike organ in the skin that is sensitive to painful mechanical damage,...

Crocodiles — and their plant-eating ancestors — have thin tooth enamel, a trait that is in stark contrast to humans and other hard-biting species,...

A team of U.S. researchers has discovered a previously undescribed group of small molecule metabolites responsible for the green biofluorescence in two...

A team of researchers from the University of Exeter, UK, put a bag of chips on the ground and tested how long it took herring gulls (Larus argentatus)...