What bonobos’ intimate rhythm can teach us about the origins of music and speech

Scientists studying bonobos, one of humanity’s closest living relatives, have uncovered surprising clues about how rhythm and communication may have evolved. By analyzing the timing...

Dogs’ gut bacteria may hold clues to surviving cancer

A dog’s chances of surviving cancer may depend partly on the tiny organisms living inside its digestive system, according to a new study from...

How an extinct Hawaiian Ibis adapted to life after sunset

Islands are known for producing unusual animals, and a newly studied extinct bird from Hawaii may be one of the strangest yet. Scientists have discovered...

Scientists stunned by rare great white shark sighting in Spanish waters

In April 2023, fishermen off Spain’s eastern coast made an unexpected and historic catch. A juvenile great white shark, just over two meters long and...

Why Tiger Shark bites peak in Hawaiʻi each October

For years, surfers and ocean-goers in Hawaiʻi have talked about “Sharktober,” a time when shark encounters seem more common. Now, scientists say the pattern is...

How a 400-year-old shark keeps its vision sharp for life

In a quiet office at the University of California, Irvine, Dorota Skowronska-Krawczyk watches a grainy video on her computer. A massive Greenland shark drifts slowly...

When humans disappeared, these birds evolved different beaks

When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the UCLA campus, students weren’t the only ones affected. A small brown bird called the dark-eyed junco also felt...

This brainless animal folds itself like origami, study finds

How does a living thing fold itself into complex shapes without a brain, nerves, or muscles? A new study of one of Earth’s simplest animals...

Why brown bears in central Italy are smaller and calmer than anywhere else

Living close to humans doesn’t just change landscapes—it can also change animals themselves. A new genetic study shows that brown bears living near villages in...

Why city raccoons rarely cross the road

Raccoons have a reputation for being curious, clever, and fearless, especially in cities where they rummage through trash cans and explore human spaces. But new...