Science

In 2010, conservationists began releasing captive-bred wētāpunga after the species survived naturally on one island; 15 years and 11,000 releases later, four generations are established on two islands/Image: Getty Images A giant insect that can grow to nearly 10cm and weigh as much as a mouse is showing signs of recovery after decades of decline.The…

Archaeologists collect deep soil samples from Turkey’s Mount Ararat site in the search for Noah’s Ark. (Photo: Getty Images) The long-running Noah’s Ark mystery has taken a new turn after researchers drilled into the Durupinar formation, a boat-shaped geological site near Mount Ararat in eastern Turkey.The formation has attracted researchers and Noah’s Ark enthusiasts since…

North Carolina’s coastal forests are retreating at a faster pace, with a new study finding that more than one-fifth of forest cover across part of the state’s coastal plain disappeared between 1985 and 2021. The findings, published in PLOS One and reported by North Carolina State University and Phys.org, show that forest loss accelerated significantly…

Illustration of a plesiosaur made with the help of AI. Image Credit: ZME Science Ancient marine reptiles may have swum to shore to vomit, with Jurassic fossils offering a unique glimpse into behaviour that has parallels in living seals and marine crocodiles. More than 20 fossilised masses found in rock cores beneath the North Sea…

The Arizona project began with a problem that was easy to see but difficult to solve. American bullfrogs had established themselves in the Cienega Creek watershed, where they could prey on Chiricahua leopard frogs and carry the fungal disease chytridiomycosis. The response involved more than removing the invasive frogs. Managers also had to keep them…

A Slovak student has developed an affordable microscope system that can create 3D models of tiny objects without destroying samples. Filip Lajciak, from Secondary Technical High School Dubnica nad Vahom, developed the system as a stereo vision solution for microscopic samples. It uses a stereo camera integrated into an optical microscopic effector to capture views…

Rubber vine. Image Credit: Wikipedia Rubber vine, a plant native to south-western Madagascar, was introduced to northern Queensland in the late 1860s as an ornamental before becoming a serious invasive weed. During the Second World War, Australia cultivated the vine as a potential source of rubber, helping it spread further. The plant later became one…

Wild blacktip sharks may have a more sophisticated sense of hearing than scientists previously realised. A study by researchers at Florida Atlantic University found that free-swimming sharks can detect low-frequency sounds from as far as 74 metres, or roughly 243 feet, away and respond by turning sharply away from the source. The findings were reported…

Image Credit: Laila Milevski/Cornell University Scientists at Cornell University have developed a tiny wireless device that can record brain activity while animals move freely through their surroundings. Lighter than a US dime, the device could give researchers a clearer view of how animals navigate, communicate and interact without being held back by wires or bulky…

Butterfly wing patterns may work as a visual illusion against predators. Researchers at the University of Exeter and the University of Essex tested how high-contrast patterns and flight movement combine. According to the study published in Nature, titled ‘Butterfly wing patterns in flight create powerful illusory motion cues’, the team filmed take-offs at around 1,000…