Biology

Global warming may actually boost biodiversity (if it happens slowly enough)

Previous analyses of the fossil record suggest that biodiversity tends to dip during warm, “greenhouse” phases of global temperature. Now, research published this week turns that conclusion on its head; a warming planet, it seems, may actually encourage variation in Earth’s lifeforms. But the rate of warming matters, as well — and that, note researchers,…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

These birds hold funerals for their dead

It’s sometimes suggested humans are the only species that truly understands the concept of the death. But now researchers have discovered that humans aren’t the only creatures who hold funerals. Researchers at UC Davis have observed this funereal behavior in western scrub jays. When one bird spots a dead jay on the ground, it stops…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

How the common cold and some genetic engineering restored mice’s sense of smell

Anosmia, the inability to smell, isn’t as well-known as blindness or deafness, but it still affects an estimated two million people in the US. A new breakthrough has cured anosmia in mice… and the human impact could be far greater. Researchers at the University of Michigan Medical School used a specially modified strain of the…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

How to Write About Hermaphrodite Sex

You’ve got two life forms who are hermaphrodites, and they’re having sex. But how do you describe it accurately, without calling on human-centric terms like “male” and “female” or “penis” and “vagina”? It’s one of those rare writing questions that comes up for both scientists and science fiction writers. In the interests of advancing the…

io9 Annalee Newitz

A new species of bee that survives solely by invading other beehives

It would appear that cuckoo birds are not the only animal that has the nasty habit of laying its eggs in another animal’s nest. A newly discovered species of bee has been observed to invade the nests of other bees while they’re out collecting pollen. It’s during this opportune time that the female members of…

io9 George Dvorsky

The Eight Super-Adaptable Life Forms That Rule Our Planet

As the most intelligent and technologically advanced species on Earth, we humans like to think that we own the place. But evolutionary success can be measured any number of ways. As evolutionary biologist Stephen G. Gould once noted, complexity, intelligence, and ferocity don’t count for much in the long run — adaptability and reproductive success…

io9 George Dvorsky

Science demands that you stop calling this kid the ‘Marmot Whisperer’

Have you heard tell of the Marmot Whisperer? That’s him pictured above. Photos of the boy — who goes by Matteo Walch — have been doing laps around the internet the last few days — an eight year old child from Innsbruck sharing meals, touching noses, hanging out and having a good time. With marmots.…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

This fungus attaches itself to plants and makes the soil belch carbon

One hope for slowing climate change is using plants and soil for carbon sequestration. The idea is that as atmospheric carbon dioxide levels increase, plants will photosynthesize more, then transport carbon underground. Anything that can help, right? Unfortunately, there’s a problem. Around 80% of plants on the planet exist in a symbiotic relationship with arbuscular…

io9 Tim Barribeau

Chimps don’t care if someone else gets robbed

Is justice a uniquely human concept? However you want to define it, the fact is we mete out punishment based on what one individual has done to another, even if we don’t know either of those people. Yet this sort of group enforcement of laws seems pretty fundamental to our society — and it looks…

io9 Tim Barribeau

How elephant seals use bioluminescence to hunt in the dark

If you’re an aquatic mammal, how do you hunt in the darkest seas, where light can’t penetrate? Dolphins have it easy with their echolocation, but what about the other animals with much more limited senses? They chase after critters that provide their own light. In a paper published in the journal PLOS One, researchers describe…

io9 Tim Barribeau

Some coral reefs could survive environmental changes for a very unexpected reason

We’re losing the coral reefs. There’s no two ways about it — these massive enclaves of marine life are on the decline. But the secret to saving the coral could be less diversity, not more. We generally think of diverse populations as being more flexible and resistant to harm, able to respond in a robust…

io9 Tim Barribeau

Why are human babies so helpless?

When you’re born, you have absolutely no defense against predators, and we humans can’t really fend for ourselves for years. Why is this? One longstanding theory among evolutionary biologists says human babies are so completely dependant after birth, as a consequence of our bipedal architecture. Our upright stance limits the width of the birth canal,…

io9 George Dvorsky

Do these male snails have the worst parenting arrangement ever?

Male members of the marine snail species Solenosteira macrospira have it tough. Not only do they take on childcare duties, they also have to care for the offspring produced by other dads. To make matters worse, baby snails cannibalize their siblings while they’re still embryos, a behavior the dads are helpless to prevent. Adding insult…

io9 George Dvorsky

Scientists have solved the 200-year-old mystery of this “monstrous” creature

For almost two hundred years, Cerataspis monstrosa — the otherworldly looking “monster larva” pictured here — has been turning up in the guts of everything from dolphins to tuna. But for as widely known as this larval creature is, its adult counterpart has managed to remain a mystery. Now, with the help of DNA analysis,…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

These 230-million-year-old bugs preserved in amber are the oldest yet

An international team of scientists working in Italy have found the oldest samples of arthropods preserved in amber — a finding that is 100 million years older than previous fossilized samples. The insects, a fly and two mites, are the first ever to be discovered from the Triassic era. The group’s findings will help biologists…

io9 George Dvorsky

Harvester ants use their own internet for hive-mind decision making

Harvester ant colonies are able to decide how many foragers they need to send out of the nest by using a protocol system that’s eerily similar to the one IT professionals use to determine how much bandwidth is available on the internet. This so-called “anternet” apparently proves that ant decision-making and behavior is regulated by…

io9 George Dvorsky

Watch this great white shark devour a seal fifty feet off the coast of Cape Cod

Cape Cod, Massachusetts tends to attract a lot of vacationing New Englanders during the summer months, but its seal populations are known to attract a toothier class of visitor: great white sharks. In this video, filmed last week by Cape Cod vacationer Peter Mottur, a great white can be seen feasting on a seal carcass…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

Eight things you didn’t know you could do with human sperm

Sperm are single-purposed: They’re optimized to get to an egg and inseminate it. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t more to this cell than meets the ovum. Sperm, along with its travelling companion, semen, are surprisingly versatile and adaptable substances. Here are eight unconventional things you can do with human sperm. 1. Skin softener Sperm…

io9 George Dvorsky

Sunbathing keeps you healthy… if you’re a bug

Excessive sunbathing is linked with all sorts of health risks in humans, but the Western Boxelder bugs of British Columbia use sunlight to ward of illness. It’s all part of one of the more bizarre biological processes we’ve yet encountered. These bugs will often leave their shelters and hang out in large groups in sunlit…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Bill Nye: “Creationism is not Appropriate for Children”

If the denial of evolution is holding society back, what can be done about it? According to Bill Nye, the answer lies in cutting our losses, favoring science education in our youth over stagnant arguments with benighted adults. Here, Nye makes the astute observation that those who opt to deny evolution elect to live in…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

Global warming may actually boost biodiversity (if it happens slowly enough)

These birds hold funerals for their dead

How the common cold and some genetic engineering restored mice’s sense of smell

How to Write About Hermaphrodite Sex

A new species of bee that survives solely by invading other beehives

The Eight Super-Adaptable Life Forms That Rule Our Planet

Science demands that you stop calling this kid the ‘Marmot Whisperer’

This fungus attaches itself to plants and makes the soil belch carbon

Chimps don’t care if someone else gets robbed

How elephant seals use bioluminescence to hunt in the dark

Some coral reefs could survive environmental changes for a very unexpected reason

Why are human babies so helpless?

Do these male snails have the worst parenting arrangement ever?

Scientists have solved the 200-year-old mystery of this “monstrous” creature

These 230-million-year-old bugs preserved in amber are the oldest yet

Harvester ants use their own internet for hive-mind decision making

Watch this great white shark devour a seal fifty feet off the coast of Cape Cod

Eight things you didn’t know you could do with human sperm

Sunbathing keeps you healthy… if you’re a bug

Bill Nye: “Creationism is not Appropriate for Children”

Tesla Goes Ahead and Admits Its Robotaxis Are Sometimes Fully Human-Controlled

School Forced to Replace Toilets After Kids Flush Vapes

‘Scream 7’ Just Won’t Stop Making Money as ‘Scream 8’ Gets Started

The Curtain Has Closed on Meta’s Movie Rating-Inspired Content Filters

Good News! You Can Finally Change That Ridiculous Gmail Address

ExpressVPN Just Launched ExpressAI: Your Prompts Are Now Invisible

VR Just Took Another Massive Body Blow

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MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

The Ikea Varmblixt Smart Lamp Fills a Donut Hole in My Life

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