Biology

Here’s What Sharks Do When You Give Them Cameras

Fisheries biologist John Shepherd once said that “counting fish is like counting trees—except you can’t see them and they move.” This can make animal behavior research extremely difficult. And while increasingly advanced electronic telemetry tags can tell us a lot, there’s just no substitute for seeing a behavior on video. Knowing how animals behave in…

Tech News David Shiffman

Wolf Spiders Play Leaf-Vibrating Songs to Attract Mates

Wolf spiders are deaf—they don’t have the right structures for hearing. However, they are very good at sensing other kinds of vibrations, and they use this ability to communicate. One species of wolf spider plays songs on dead leaves to attract mates. To woo a lady spider, the male wolf spider stands on a dead…

Biology Kiona Smith-Strickland

Without This Protein, Part Of The Brain’s Sex System Would Die

Sometimes, bad luck leads to insights. A study published today in the Journal of Clinical Investigation has added a new twist to our understanding of the way the system that controls puberty in mammals develops inside the brain – thanks to two brothers who both inherited the same rare disorder. Kallmann syndrome is a rare…

Tech News Diane Kelly

The Placenta Was Your First Reproductive Organ

You were once as wrapped as snug as the pony in the picture. Before you were born, you sat wrapped inside a placenta tucked inside your mother’s womb. That placenta was the very first reproductive structure your body built, long before you built your testes or ovaries or genitalia. But even though this type of…

Biology Diane Kelly

How Anabolic Steroids Make You Stronger – And How They Destroy You

The quick and dirty route to gaining strength is to take some kind of anabolic steroid. These drugs actually trick the body into building up muscle mass and endurance — but they can also age you far beyond your years. Anabolic steroids work because they masquerade as one of the body’s basic hormones: testosterone. Testosterone…

Health Kiona Smith-Strickland

Largest-Ever Rhino Airlift Recently Released First 10 Rhinos In Botswana

Beverly Joubert and her husband Dereck are spearheading a relocation project, called Rhinos Without Borders, that aims to move 100 rhinos from poaching hotspots in South Africa to safer parks in Botswana. It’s the largest rhino airlift ever attempted, and the first ten transportees have been successfully released. Above: One of the first ten rhinos…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

You’re Looking at an Insect Penis Inside its Mate

One of the biggest challenges for scientists studying the anatomy and physiology of genitalia is the fact that much of the real functional action happens deep inside females. It’s hard to see what’s going on in there. That’s why I love studies that rise to the challenge of giving us a peek inside. In a…

Tech News Diane Kelly

The First Building That Can Heal Its Own Cracks With Biological Cement

Three years ago, we learned that a Dutch team had developed a biological concrete that could repair its own cracks. They said it might be two or three years before it found its way into the larger world—and now, we’re getting a look at its real-world applications. The concrete is a collaboration between two scientists…

Tech News Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan

Deceptive Photo Makes This Eel Look Taller Than A Double Decker Bus

Fishermen working off the coast of Plymouth in Britain snagged a 7-foot-long (2.1 meters) conger eel by mistake after it got tangled in their nets. Weighing in at just over 133 pounds (59 kg), it’s a near-record catch — but this clever optical illusion makes it look much longer than it really is. As reported…

io9 George Dvorsky

The Nomenclature War That Pitted This Ancient Whale Against A Mastodon

When the fossil of this 12 million year old whale with a terrifying set of giant jaws was uncovered the name chosen was a fitting one: Leviathan, for the Biblical sea monster, and Melvillei, for the author of the most famous whale story. And then things started to get tricky. In response to this piece…

io9 Ria Misra

Behold The First Fully Warm-Blooded Fish Known To Science

Of all the fish in the world, only a few have the capacity to maintain warmth in specific parts of their bodies. But as new research reveals, the deepwater opah has the unprecedented ability to circulate heated blood throughout its entire body, making it the only known fully warm-blooded fish. Top image: Elevated temperature in…

io9 George Dvorsky

Top 10 Prehistoric Mammals That Were Way Cooler Than Dinosaurs

As much as I’m looking forward to Jurassic Park, I will never quite forgive dinosaurs for the sin of being birdlike. How can I fear something that I eat in nugget form? Now prehistoric mammals — that’s where the action is. Here are the top 10 mammals that ruled more than any dinosaur ever. 10.…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

Wood Frog Mating Is A Wet, Competitive Orgy

When wood frogs emerge from hibernation, a frantic competitive orgy happens. They meet up in frigid temporary pools left behind by melting snow, and over the course of just a few days, males grab nearly anything that moves in the hopes of winning a spot on a female’s back. Top Image: Brian Gratwicke via flickr|…

Biology Diane Kelly

Ebola Virus in Sierra Leone Mutated at a Normal Rate

Since the Ebola outbreak occurred in West Africa in 2014, researchers have feared that the virus had been able to evolve at a more rapid rate than usual. Now, an analysis of the virus reveals that it mutated at a perfectly normal rate in Sierra Leone, alleviating those fears. A team of Chinese researchers, that…

Health Jamie Condliffe

Here’s What Baboons Can Teach Us About Social Media

“Birds of a feather flock together” is a saying that exists in a number of different languages. “Gambá cheira gambá” (opossums smell other opossums) in Brazilian Portuguese is a particularly colourful example. The reason is that like-minded people like to hang out together across many cultures. And it seems the same is true of baboons.…

Tech News Robert John Young

Bees Are Dying and We’ll All Pay for It

Bee colonies are still dying, and food may get more expensive as a result. Beekeepers in the U.S. lost 42.1 percent of their bee colonies between April 2014 and April 2015, according to a recent annual survey. Those losses continue a trend of die offs among bee colonies, which beekeepers say could drastically affect our…

Tech News Kiona Smith-Strickland

To Escape Predators, Trap-Jaw Ants Turn Their Face Into Pogo Sticks

Scientists have shown that body-flinging escape jumps by trap-jaw ants are more than just a neat insectoid party trick. As its name implies, the trap-jaw ant has an incredibly powerful chomp. As they bite down, their mandibles travel at an astonishing rate of 130 feet per second (40 m/s), with a total elapsed time of…

io9 George Dvorsky

Darwin Predicted This Animal’s Existence Decades Before Its Discovery

Here’s a great Charles Darwin story you may not have heard before: In 1862, the famed naturalist foretold the discovery of an unusual animal, based on his observations of a species of orchid endemic to Madagascar. The creature was ultimately discovered in 1903—some 20 years after Darwin’s death. Photo Credit: kqedquest | The Xanthopan morganii…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

Popular Exercises To Avoid At All Costs—Unless You Do Them Right

Many popular exercises are performed incorrectly, often by people who probably shouldn’t be attempting them in the first place. This can result in injuries and futility at the gym. We talked to the experts to find out which exercises are the most problematic, and how to do them correctly. Illustration by Tara Jacoby When it…

io9 George Dvorsky

In A Snake Orgy, Ejaculate Can Get Expensive

Every spring, male red-sided garter snakes enter the mother of all meat-markets. While mature males can breed every year, females are only fertile once every three years, which puts them in very short supply. The result? Snake orgy, obviously. But for male snakes, this sexual free-for-all comes at a surprisingly high cost. More specifically, males…

Tech News Diane Kelly

Here’s What Sharks Do When You Give Them Cameras

Wolf Spiders Play Leaf-Vibrating Songs to Attract Mates

Without This Protein, Part Of The Brain’s Sex System Would Die

The Placenta Was Your First Reproductive Organ

How Anabolic Steroids Make You Stronger – And How They Destroy You

Largest-Ever Rhino Airlift Recently Released First 10 Rhinos In Botswana

You’re Looking at an Insect Penis Inside its Mate

The First Building That Can Heal Its Own Cracks With Biological Cement

Deceptive Photo Makes This Eel Look Taller Than A Double Decker Bus

The Nomenclature War That Pitted This Ancient Whale Against A Mastodon

Behold The First Fully Warm-Blooded Fish Known To Science

Top 10 Prehistoric Mammals That Were Way Cooler Than Dinosaurs

Wood Frog Mating Is A Wet, Competitive Orgy

Ebola Virus in Sierra Leone Mutated at a Normal Rate

Here’s What Baboons Can Teach Us About Social Media

Bees Are Dying and We’ll All Pay for It

To Escape Predators, Trap-Jaw Ants Turn Their Face Into Pogo Sticks

Darwin Predicted This Animal’s Existence Decades Before Its Discovery

Popular Exercises To Avoid At All Costs—Unless You Do Them Right

In A Snake Orgy, Ejaculate Can Get Expensive

Andy Weir Apologizes After ‘Star Trek’ Comment Backlash

Scientists Discover Hidden Behavior in Water That Helps Explain Why Ice Floats

The ‘Paradise’ Season 2 Finale Paved the Way for a Wildly Sci-Fi Season 3

A $1 Samsung Galaxy Smartphone Lands at Mint Mobile With Unlimited Data at 50% Off in a Clearance Push

Your Wimpy Workouts Aren’t Cutting It, Scientists Say

Anker Prime Power Bank Drops to an All-Time Low (200W, 20,100mAh, 3-Port) as Amazon Clears Out Remaining Spring Sale Stock

Students Are Now Renting Smart Glasses to Cheat on Exams

Roborock F25 GT Cordless Vacuum and Mop Hits Its Lowest Price in Spring Sale, 20,000Pa Cleaning Power Without the Premium Price Tag

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

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

Nothing Headphone A vs. Headphone 1: Which Pair of ANC Wireless Headphones Wins?

Asus ROG’s Cetra Open Wireless Gaming Earbuds Might Be Better Than Wearing a Headset

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