Biology
Did you solve it? The fin-tastic fish puzzle
The solution to today’s underwater conundrumsEarlier today I set you the following puzzles. Here they are again with the solutions.A fish is swimming in a tank that is two metres …
Extraordinary immune gene diversity in Atlantic herring exceeds that of other vertebrates, including humans
Atlantic herring travel in massive schools that can contain hundreds of millions—and sometimes even billions—of fish. While this abundance is characteristic of one of the most suc…
Caught right-handed: Mystery of coiling snake embryos explained
An international team led by Canadian researchers has found evidence explaining why snake embryos form a curious spiral. This ability to coil as embryos enables snakes to hatch wi…
How the Tasmanian tiger outfoxed its prey
The Tasmanian tiger hunted more like a fox than its fearsome namesake, according to a new UniSC biomechanics study of predatory animals across the globe. The University of the Sun…
Rocky Mountain find reveals new funnel-web spider far from its Northwest relatives
Researchers at the University of Idaho have identified a new species of spider in the mountains of northern Idaho and given it a name that pays tribute to the university itself: H…
New gene activation tool may do what CRISPR cannot: Work inside the body
The ability to precisely adjust the expression of genes inside the human body—ramping up protective ones and tamping down harmful ones—holds enormous potential for treating and pr…
Why the image of 'clean and green' is no longer enough for Australian agriculture exports
Australia's agricultural exports have long traded on a simple label: clean and green.
Coral recovery time cut short by warming oceans
Given enough time, coral reefs can recover from cyclones, bleaching and other destructive events. But a new report released today suggests they are losing that time. The "Status o…
Smelling test: children need education in sniffing aromas, scientist says
Exclusive: Dr Will Tullett says better understanding of scents can improve wellbeing and perception of the worldChildren need a better education in sniffing aromas, a leading hist…
The mystery of a well-traveled kissing bug
On an August morning last year, an American couple soon to embark on a European river cruise awoke in a luxury hotel in Lisbon.
What happens next with bird flu? An expert explains why monitoring matters
The lethal H5N1 strain of avian influenza is rapidly spreading along the coast of southern Australia, where it has killed thousands of wild birds and infected at least two long-no…
Space junk punched a new hole in the moon. It’s not ours to abuse | Moriba Jah
The space industry treats the sky as a place to dump what it no longer wants. We must develop a new model of accountabilityOn 5 August, a piece of a derelict SpaceX rocket traveli…
Not tiger, not wolf: Australian thylacine skull reveals a far different hunting style
A new study led by Flinders University has flipped the historical narrative about Australia's thylacine, finding the native apex predator known as the "Tasmanian tiger" was signif…
Can you solve it? The fin-tastic fish puzzle
Can you think in 3D?Today’s puzzle concerns a fish swimming in a tank that is two metres high, one metre across and one metre deep.The image below shows one path the fish swam. Co…
Starwatch: Sagitta’s arrow shape makes it easy to see against a dark sky
The third-smallest constellation can be found partway along one of the imaginary lines of the summer triangleWe are on the hunt for another small, northern summer constellation th…
Forbidden planet: was Pluto’s 2006 demotion a big mistake?
Since it was stripped of planetary status, Pluto’s defenders have been fighting the decision – and they’re only getting more passionateTwenty years ago, Pluto got demoted. After a…
Using data to help wheat growers adapt to unpredictable weather
For generations, wheat planting has followed predictable seasonal patterns. But this year, unseasonably warm weather in March and April accelerated wheat growth, pushing the crop …
USDA reportedly shelves cyclospora research amid relocations and fund cuts
Trump officials shuttering three projects on foodborne parasite, two defunded by Congress, Politico reportsThe Trump administration is shuttering two of the three US Department o…
Infection kills gut cells, while diet reshapes existing ones, fruit fly study finds
The intestines rely on different strategies to rebuild themselves in response to diet changes versus infections, according to a new Cornell study—a finding that can shed light on …
Know your pest pressure: Monitoring is the foundation for managing lucerne seed wasp
Lucerne seed wasp (LSW) is a serious pest in alfalfa crops, causing damage that is difficult to see in the field. Its larvae feed inside developing seeds, meaning losses may not b…
Researchers find Britain’s 11th-century ‘Conquest Man’ was Scandinavian – but did he land with the Norman army?
It’s ‘plausible’, though more likely the Humberside resident was one of many immigrants to Viking-controlled DanelawOne of the most consequential showdowns in the history of the B…
Strategic irrigation stress can lift lucerne seed yield and returns
More water does not necessarily produce more alfalfa seed. A five-year trial near Keith, South Australia, found that strategically delaying irrigation until plants showed early si…
Airborne tuberculosis bacteria may mutate as they dry, revealing a target to curb drug resistance
Tuberculosis bacteria released into the air from infected individuals dry out to form infectious particles that are second only to measles in contagiousness. Weill Cornell Medicin…
A never-before-seen picture of eagle migrations
In 1899, scientists began tracking avian migration by placing a small ring with an identifier around birds' ankles. Researchers then had to recapture the birds elsewhere, leaving …