Biology News

Tool Use Observed in Multiple Species of Wrasses

Tool-using genera within the family Labridae. Image credit: Tariel-Adam et al., doi: 10.1007/s00338-025-02633-w.
Apr 7, 2025 by Natali Anderson

A diverse array of animals has evolved the ability to use tools (e.g., primates, parrots, octopus, crabs, and wasps), but the factors leading to tool use evolution are poorly understood. Fishes could provide insight into these factors via comparison of differences between tool-using and non-tool-using species. Anvil use is one example of tool use by fish: the fish holds a hard-shelled prey item in its mouth and strikes it onto a hard surface (anvil)...

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Tupac, a young male bonobo scratching its head. Image credit: Lukas Bierhoff, Kokolopori Bonobo Research Project.

Bonobo Calls Show Signs of Complex Communication, Says New Study

Apr 4, 2025 by News Staff

Compositionality, the capacity to combine meaningful elements into larger meaningful structures, is a hallmark of human language. Compositionality can...

New World monkeys, whose range stretches from Mexico to Argentina, were found to have evolved the largest vocal membranes of all the primates, suggesting these thin ribbons of tissue play a particularly important role in their vocal production and repertoire of calls. This image shows black and gold howler monkeys (Alouatta caraya). Image credit: Jacob Dunn, Anglia Ruskin University.

New World Monkeys Are World’s Finest Yodelers, Study Says

Apr 3, 2025 by News Staff

Apes and monkeys possess special anatomical structures in their throats called vocal membranes, which disappeared from humans through evolution to allow...

Morphological and anatomical characteristics of Cetraria aculeata (a, d, g, j) and Diploschistes muscorum (b, c, e, f, h, i, k, l). Image credit: Skubała et al., doi: 10.3897/imafungus.16.145477.

Lichens Endure Exposure to Simulated Mars Atmosphere: Study

Apr 1, 2025 by News Staff

Certain lichen species can withstand Mars-like conditions with an X-ray radiation dose of 50 Gy (Grays) that is expected on the Mars surface over one year...

Aerial view of Mono Lake. Image credit: Dick Lyon / CC BY 4.0.

Large Lakes Supplied Essential Element during Origins of Life, Study Suggests

Mar 26, 2025 by News Staff

The origin of life on Earth required a supply of phosphorus for the synthesis of universal biomolecules. Closed lakes may have accumulated high concentrations...

Four representative plant species showcasing venom delivery systems: (A) co-habiting ants that numerous ant-plants provide a home and food for; (B) haustria of parasitic plants that attack other plants; (C) stinging trichomes of stinging plants; and (D) raphides that penetrate the oral membranes of animals that browse on plants. Image credit: Hayes et al., doi: 10.3390/toxins17030099.

Numerous Plants, Fungi, Protists, Bacteria, and Even Viruses Possess Toxin Delivery Systems: Study

Mar 26, 2025 by News Staff

These toxin delivery systems are fully analogous to and often rival the complexity of venom delivery systems found in animals such as venomous snakes,...

The common starfish (Asterias rubens) in Brofjorden at Govik, Lysekil municipality, Sweden. Image credit: W. Carter.

Appetite-Controlling Neurohormone Has Ancient Evolutionary Origin, New Study Shows

Mar 25, 2025 by News Staff

A satiety-inducing molecule called bombesin is not only present in humans and other vertebrates but also in invertebrates such as starfish and their marine...

Babies are able to learn abstract relations before the first year of life. Image credit: Kang Heungbo.

Why Don’t We Remember Specific Events from Our First Years of Life?

Mar 24, 2025 by News Staff

Challenging assumptions about infant memory, a new Yale University-led study shows that infants as young as 12 months old can encode memories. The findings...

Cooper & Milinkovitch demonstrate that an intravenous injection of sonidegib, a potent Shh pathway inhibitor, at embryonic day 9 (E9) temporarily produces striped domains (instead of spots) of Shh expression in the skin, arrests morphogenesis, and results in unbranched and non-invaginated feather buds -- akin to proto-feathers -- in embryos until E14. Image credit: Fabrice Berger & Michel Milinkovitch.

‘Sonic Hedgehog Pathway’ Underlies Evolutionary Emergence and Diversity of Feathers, Study Suggests

Mar 20, 2025 by News Staff

Molecular signaling pathways are communication systems that transmit messages within and between cells. According to a new study by University of Geneva...

The Babar myzomela (Myzomela babarensis). Image credit: James A. Eaton.

New Bird Species Identified in Indonesia

Mar 14, 2025 by Natali Anderson

A cryptic new species of the honeyeater genus Myzomela has been described by an international team of ornithologists from Malaysia, India, the United Kingdom...

Mice have their own form of ‘first aid’ practices to help other mice in need. Image credit: Sun et al., doi: 10.1126/science.adq2677.

Lab Mice Seen Giving First Aid to Unconscious Mates

Mar 10, 2025 by News Staff

In new lab experiments, scientists at the University of Southern California showed that when mice encountered a familiar social partner in a state of unconsciousness...

A male superb lyrebird (Menura novaehollandiae). Image credit: Alex Maisey, University of Wollongong.

Superb Lyrebirds ‘Farm’ Their Invertebrate Prey, Ornithologists Discover

Mar 5, 2025 by Natali Anderson

The superb lyrebird (Menura novaehollandiae), a ground-dwelling species of moist eucalypt forests in south-eastern Australia, engineers micro-habitats...

The Asian hornet (Vespa velutina). Image credit: Gilles San Martin / CC BY-SA 2.0.

Asian Hornets Prey on Almost 1,500 Species of Invertebrates, New Study Reveals

Mar 5, 2025 by News Staff

Biologists at the University of Exeter have conducted the first large-scale study of the diet of the Asian hornet (Vespa velutina), utilizing deep sequencing...

Papilio solstitius: (a) male, holotype and (b) female, allotype. Scale bar - 10 mm. Image credit: DeRoller et al., doi: 10.3897/zookeys.1228.142202.

Cryptic New Species of Butterfly Identified in North America

Feb 28, 2025 by Natali Anderson

Entomologists have described a new species of tiger swallowtail (genus Papilio) from eastern North America. Papilio solstitius: (a) male, holotype and...

Giant panda cub Xiao Liwu and his mother Bai Yun at the San Diego Zoo.

Bamboo-Derived microRNAs May Be behind Giant Pandas’ Plant-Based Diet

Feb 28, 2025 by News Staff

Giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) belong to the order Carnivora, but they mainly feed on bamboo, and their unique dietary adaptability has always been...

Archer et al. reveal the first detailed look at polar bear cubs emerging from their dens. Image credit: Jon Aars / Norwegian Polar Institute.

Rare Footage of Moms, Cubs Emerging from Dens Sheds Light on Elusive Polar Bear Reproduction

Feb 27, 2025 by News Staff

Published today on International Polar Bear Day, new research marks the first combination of satellite tracking collars with remote camera traps to answer...

Palaeognath birds. Image credit: Bernard Dupont / Kore / Kadellar / Frank Vincentz / Rohit / Manuel Anastácio / CC BY-SA 4.0.

Palaeognath Birds are Capable of Technical Innovation, Study Shows

Feb 24, 2025 by Natali Anderson

Palaeognathae (meaning ‘old jaws’) is a small group of birds which includes several species that have evolved flightlessness and gigantism, such as...

The whirring tree frog (Litoria revelata). Image credit: Stephen Mahony.

New Species of Tree Frog Discovered in Australia

Feb 21, 2025 by Natali Anderson

Biologists have discovered a new species — and redescribed another one — of the tree frog genus Litoria living on the Australian continent. The...

Illustration of an Earth-like exoplanet after X-ray radiation exposure. Image credit: NASA / CXC / M. Weiss.

Ionizing Radiation from Nearby Supernova Altered Virus Evolution 2.5 Million Years Ago

Feb 20, 2025 by News Staff

This supernova event likely occurred in the Upper Centaurus Lupus association, a group of massive stars approximately 457 light-years away from Earth. Illustration...

Termite mounds in the Bungle Bungle Range in Western Australia. Image credit: Ouderkraal / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Study: Animals Are Not Just Inhabitants of Natural World, They Are Its Architects

Feb 18, 2025 by News Staff

New research reveals how hundreds of species influence Earth’s surface processes, from vast termite mounds visible from space to hippos carving drainage...

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