A mysterious rat vanished into the mountains of New Guinea in 1989. Now, after more than three decades, it has finally shown its face and researchers have the photos to prove it. Meet Mallomys, the elusive subalpine woolly rat, a species so rare that researchers had practically given up hope of ever seeing it alive. ...
Flamingos, in their bright pink feathers and upright posture, have been long symbols of grace and peace. But beneath their peaceful facade exists an unexpectedly fierce and clever strategy for feeding. New studies show that these birds are anything but passive filter feeders, they’re actually underwater predators, harnessing physics to generate teeny-tiny tornadoes that catch ...
Imagine a world where Antarctica wasn’t a frozen wasteland but a lush, river-cut forest teeming with life where dinosaurs, not penguins, roamed under months-long polar darkness. This was Earth 120 million years ago, during the Early Cretaceous, when what is now southern Australia sat within the Antarctic Circle. Thanks to groundbreaking research analyzing ancient pollen ...
Deep in Oregon’s coast tidal mudflats, researchers have discovered a strange microbe with a surprising ability to carry electricity like a wire. Ca. Electrothrix yaqonensis, named after the indigenous Yaqo’n First Nations people, is not only another nature oddity. It may be the key to revolutionary bioelectric technologies, ranging from pollution cleanup to new electronics. ...
For the first time, a stunningly well-preserved fossil of a genuine cicada has been found at the Messel Pit in Germany, providing an unprecedented insight into the old world of these buzzing insects. The newly discovered species, Eoplatypleura messelensis, is 47 million years old and is one of the most ancient recorded ancestors of contemporary ...
Sharks have long been portrayed for centuries as the silent killers, sneaky, fast, and lethal. But what if they’re not quite so quiet as we’ve pictured? In a revolutionary research discovery, scientists have recorded sharks making noise for the first time, challenging century-old beliefs about these enigmatic predators. The accidental findings, released in Royal Society ...
