A newly-identified visual protein lets dragonflies detect deep red and near-infrared light using a mechanism strikingly similar to that in human eyes, an unexpected case of parallel evolution with potential medical applications, according to new research from Osaka Metropolitan University.

The post Dragonflies and Humans Share Way of Seeing Red, New Research Shows appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

In new research, scientists studied a hybrid honeybee population in Southern California, a genetic mix of Western European, Eastern European, Middle Eastern, and African lineages.

The post Californian Hybrid Honeybee Population Has Evolved Natural Defense against Varroa Mites: Study appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

A protist species called Stentor coeruleus appears to navigate by sensing physical shapes -- a discovery that suggests even the simplest life forms can exploit geometry to survive.

The post Trumpet-Shaped Unicellular Microorganism, Drawn to Corners, Reveals Hidden Sense of Geometry appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

Researchers who analyzed dozens of spontaneous performances by a captive male chimpanzee named Ayumu say the animal’s steady rhythms and expressive ‘play face’ hint at how early humans may have transformed vocal emotion into instrumental sound.

The post Chimpanzee’s Drum Solo Offers Clues to Origins of Music appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

The Galápagos lava heron, a small heron that stalks the lava-strewn shores of the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador, may finally have secured its place as a distinct species.

The post Galapagos Lava Heron is Distinct Bird Species, New Study Shows appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

Both the Tasmanian tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus) and the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) are believed to have become extinct on the Australian mainland about 3,000 years ago.

The post Researchers Discover Tasmanian Tiger and Tasmanian Devil Paintings in Northern Australia appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

In the cold, wave-battered channels off southern Chile, scientists have identified what they say is a new species of the steamer duck genus Tachyeres, a group of notoriously aggressive, often flightless waterfowl found only in South America.

The post New Species of Steamer Duck Discovered in Chile appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

In the remote rainforests of New Guinea’s Vogelkop Peninsula, scientists have spotted two marsupial species -- the pygmy long-fingered possum (Dactylonax kambuayai) and the ring-tailed glider (Tous ayamaruensis) -- believed to have been lost for roughly 6,000 years.

The post Two Species of Marsupials Thought Lost for 6,000 Years Found Alive in New Guinea appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

A team of researchers from the United States and Germany has identified fungal proteins that can freeze water at relatively warm subzero temperatures, raising the prospect of safer cloud seeding, improved climate models and new advances in food preservation and medicine.

The post Fungi Found to Trigger Ice Formation appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

Genetic and acoustic evidence show that the rare Ijima’s leaf warbler (Phylloscopus ijimae) is actually two distinct bird species, including the newly-identified Tokara leaf warbler -- both with small, vulnerable populations.

The post Ornithologists Identify Cryptic New Bird Species in Japan appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

Entomologists in Panama have observed a leaf-masquerading katydid species that begins life bright pink before turning green days later, a shift that may mimic rainforest leaves that flush red or pink before maturing -- an adaptive camouflage strategy previously mistaken for a rare genetic anomaly.

The post Tropical Bush Cricket’s Hot-Pink Phase May Be Nature’s Perfect Disguise appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

In a new study led by University of British Columbia Ph.D. student Hannah Griebling, raccoons (Procyon lotor) continued manipulating complex puzzle boxes long after retrieving the only marshmallow reward, suggesting the animals seek information for its own sake -- a behavior that may underpin their urban success.

The post Study: Raccoons Don’t Just Solve Puzzles for Food, They Do It for Fun appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

An antbird long thought to be a single widespread species across the Amazon rainforest is, in fact, several different ones. Among them are two newly-described species -- Cercomacra mura and Cercomacra raucisona -- that inhabit separate regions of southern Amazonia.

The post Two New Bird Species Identified in Amazonia appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

Using powerful X-ray beams, automated robotics and AI, entomologists have created interactive digital images representing 212 genera and 792 species of ants.

The post Entomologists Create Digital Library of Global Ant Diversity appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

New research shows that Deinococcus radiodurans has outstanding ability to survive the extreme transient pressures associated with impact-induced ejection from Mars.

The post Extremophile Bacteria May Hitch Rides on Asteroid Fragments appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

The ancestors of today’s malaria-spreading mosquitoes in the Anopheles leucosphyrus (Leucosphyrus) group may have shifted to feeding on humans around 1.8 million years ago, coinciding with the arrival of Homo erectus in Southeast Asia.

The post Arrival of Homo erectus in Southeast Asia Changed Mosquito Menu, New Study Suggests appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

Pennsylvania State University researchers have directly observed and measured an electrical phenomenon called corona on sweetgum, loblolly pine and other tree species under thunderstorms in several U.S. states.

The post Scientists Observe Electrical Discharges on Trees under Thunderstorms appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

As human space exploration pushes farther from Earth, the need for sustainable ways to obtain local resources is becoming increasingly urgent, as routine resupply missions grow impractical.

The post Fungi on International Space Station Show Surprising Metal Extraction Skills appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

Scientists have isolated a new strain of the Psychrobacter cryohalolentis species from 5,000-year-old ice from Scarisoara Ice Cave in Romania.

The post Multidrug-Resistant Bacterial Strain Found Preserved in 5,000-Year-Old Cave Ice appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

In a new study, scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems aimed to characterize the geometry, porosity, and stiffness of Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) whiskers.

The post Remarkable Sense of Touch in Elephant’s Trunk Isn’t Just about Muscles or Nerves: Study appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.