Biology

New Analysis Suggests GMOs Can Be A Very Good Thing

Results of a meta-analysis published in the latest issue of PLOS paint a favorable picture of genetically modified crops — which make a positive impact on farmers, crop yields and profits. Photo Credit: Stuart Williams via flickr | CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. The last two decades have seen several investigations into the effect of GM crops…

Can You Really Bust a Gut from Eating Too Much at Once?

Although extremely rare, some people actually have ruptured their stomachs after eating too much, and, perhaps not surprisingly, many did not survive. When a stomach ruptures, the billions of bacteria that normally live inside the gut flow out into the abdominal cavity where they thrive. The infection that ensues causes acute abdominal pain, a tensing…

This Adorable Robotic Penguin Is Changing The Way We Study Animals

Observing animals in the wild while not disturbing them is a classic challenge for behavioral ecologists. But as a new study shows, the use of remotely operated robots to observe penguins and seals in their natural habitats can result in significantly lower and shorter stress responses. For the new study, Yvon Le Maho of the…

These Animals Skin Themselves Alive To Escape Death

Did you know that some animals are pretty much designed to be able to re-enact the plot of Gerald’s Game? You can’t un-know it now. Learn how “fragile skin” allows animals to flay themselves alive. For some animals, life is a perpetual torture porn movie. The only way they can stay alive is to do…

Could you outrun a T-Rex? A Velociraptor? Find out at the Guardian’s Datablog, where an online simulation allows you to enter your running speed and participate in a 100-meter race between you, world-record breaker Usain Bolt, various animals (both living and extinct) and an F1 Racing Car.

Researcher Who Found ‘Puppy Sized Spider’ Received Death Threats

Last month, Harvard entomologist Piotr Naskrecki’s wrote a blog post about finding a “puppy-sized” spider in South America. The post went viral. A few days later, Naskrecki was receiving death threats. Why? For collecting one of the specimens he described in his post, and placing it in a museum. Naskrecki appeared on NPR yesterday to…

Jane Goodall To John Oliver: “I Don’t Like You”

John Oliver sat down with primatologist Jane Goodall recently to discuss the “objectivity” of scientific research and, more importantly, brainstorm dirty chimp names. It was a surprisingly productive meeting, notwithstanding Goodall’s feelings toward Oliver. Seriously, though. Jane Goodall is the best.

The “Ideal” Microbiome Is a Myth

Embracing the complexity of the microbiome means doing away with pat conceptions of its function. Your body is a habitat to trillions of microscopic organisms known, collectively, as your microbiome. Today, the microbiome is one of the hottest areas of biological research, and for good reason. This body-wide ecosystem not only adapts to our diets,…

Can Brown Bears, House Cats, and Gorillas Teach Us About Human Health?

The fact that humans and animals suffer from many of the same diseases is no longer controversial. But do they have similar causes? How do factors like air quality, social stress, and the built environment contribute to health and illness in people and animals? We live-tweeted the Zoobiquity conference today, which was devoted to discussing…

Have You Ever Wondered What A Four-Acre Spiderweb Looks Like?

No? Really? Oh. Well, since you’re here, it looks like this. Question: What’s creepier than a four-acre spiderweb? Answer: Whatever the hell weaves a four-acre spiderweb. In this particular instance, the answer is “a Metric Sh*tTon,” and/or “an Imperial Sh*tLoad” of spiders. Those aren’t my units, by the way; I borrowed them from entomologist and…

A Fascinating Documentary on Crows, One of the World’s Smartest Animals

There’s no better way to celebrate Halloween than by snuggling up with this mesmerizing PBS documentary, A Murder of Crows, first aired in 2010 and now available free online. We actually get to see some of the experiments that offered solid evidence that crows are breathtakingly smart tool users. Spend an hour getting to know…

The U.S. Is Spending $4.5-Million To Save The Rarest Fish On Earth

The (4.5-) million dollar question is: Should it be? Above: Four Devils Hole pupfish, photographed in 2010 by Olin Feuerbacher for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Today, there are fewer than 100 left. The fish in question is the Devils Hole pupfish. One of the first species to be protected by the Endangered Species…

A New Frog Species Has Been Discovered … In New York City

Introducing Rana kauffeldi, the first amphibian to be discovered in New York since the Fowler’s toad in 1882. Crazily enough, the elusive ‘cryptic’ leopard frog has gone unnoticed elsewhere; the darned thing is widespread along the Atlantic Coast of the United States. Details of the new frog are being reported in the scientific journal PLOS…

Could Biological Life Be Just A Passing Phase In The Universe?

Steven Dick, a famed astronomer and historian, has completed a one-year residency at the Library of Congress, researching his next book, How the Discovery of Life Will Transform Our Thinking. In an exclusive interview posted on the Library’s blog, he discusses such provocative issues as evolution on a cosmic scale. [Image: NASA] The entire interview…

Four Of The Most Destructive Farm Pests Are Actually One Species

A 5-year study conducted in 20 countries reveals that four different fruit flies — which cause incalculable damage to crops across Asia, Africa, the Pacific and parts of South America — are, in fact, the same species. The discovery will not only ease trade restrictions, but aid global efforts to reduce the pest’s population. Up…

This Spider Built Its Web Inside A Leaf

Paris-based photographer Bertrand Kulik captured these whimsical images of a spider whose web looks like it’s holding together a perforated leaf. Photos featured by kind permission of Bertrand Kulik. This spider may not be “terrifyingly brilliant,” but it’s certainly incidentally photogenic. https://gizmodo.com/terrifyingly-brilliant-spider-creates-stunningly-advanc-1643278204 H/t Colossal!

Virgin Birth Discovered In The World’s Largest Snake

When a mommy snake loves a daddy snake very much, sometimes they make a baby snake. At least, that’s what you’ve been taught. But a twenty-foot two-hundred pound female reticulated python didn’t follow the rules, giving birth to six offspring with no help from a male. At the Louisville Zoo, the monster python laid more…

Eleanor Lutz’s Animated Guide To Breathing

Designer Eleanor Lutz is fast becoming one of our very favorite science-visualization artists. Her latest work provides a mesmerizing look at the weird and wonderful ways that animals breathe. (Did you know, for example, that grasshoppers have no lungs?) Lutz’s last infographic, while visually striking, was more art than science. This time, she’s struck a…

A Guide To The Ravenous Hellbeast That Is The Carnivorous Caterpillar

“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood.” So said Marie Curie, a brilliant scientist who had clearly never heard of the horrifying Hawaiian caterpillars that dine on living flesh. Here, we explore how evolution came to play this cruel joke on us all. Note: All animations feature in this…

These Tiny Seahorses Are a Living Lesson in Camouflage

First of all, I never knew that seahorses could be this tiny. And second, I didn’t realize that their camouflage abilities are so incredibly complex. This short video about seahorses will change what you thought you knew about how animals blend into their environments and hide. This is the first in a series of science…