Animals & Plants

Dogs and their owners share a risk of developing diabetes, study finds

In a new study, researchers found that owners of a dog with diabetes are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes themselves than owners...

Antibodies from this animal could be a powerful weapon against COVID-19

In a new study, researchers found a new method to extract tiny but extremely powerful SARS-CoV-2 antibody fragments from llamas. It could be fashioned into...

Old dog training methods teach robots new tricks

With a training technique commonly used to teach dogs to sit and stay, researchers showed a robot how to teach itself several new tricks,...

Like it or not, Joro spiders are here to stay

Chances are, if you live in northeast Georgia you’ve come across an East Asian Joro spider this fall. At almost 3 inches across when their...

Scientists discover five different dog types from 11,000 years ago

Scientists have studied the lineage of dogs and found that there were at least five different types of dogs as far back as 11,000...

Sick vampire bats keep social distance naturally even without public health guidance

New research shows that when vampire bats feel sick, they socially distance themselves from groupmates in their roost - no public health guidance required. The...

Why do we get so picky about friendship late in life? Ask the chimps

No new friends and no drama. When humans age, they tend to favor small circles of meaningful, established friendships rather than seek new ones, and...

A flesh-eating parasite carried by dogs is making its way to North America

Leishmania is a flesh-eating parasite that affects millions of people each year, in 98 countries and territories — but isn’t native to Canada and...

Marine sponges inspire the next generation of skyscrapers and bridges

When we think about sponges, we tend to think of something soft and squishy. But researchers at Harvard University are using the glassy skeletons of...

Scientists find 11 fish species that could walk on land

A team of U.S. National Science Foundation-funded scientists has identified at least 11 species of fish suspected to have land-walking abilities. The findings are based...