A thirsty bat sweeps over a pond, listens to the echoes returning from its surface and drops closer to drink. But what happens when that same acoustic signal comes from something that only looks like water to its echolocation system? Scientists have found that bats can be surprisingly easy to fool. In controlled experiments, smooth…
Australian brook lamprey. Image Credit: David Moffatt In 2022, Australian ecologist Dr Luke Carpenter-Bundhoo set out to study how the Black Summer bushfires had affected ecosystems in K’gari, Queensland. Instead, while surveying a creek, he encountered an unexpected creature: an eel-like fish with seven gills and a mouth lined with circular rows of teeth. The…
PC: University of Nebraska–Lincoln From university laboratories in Germany to beetle specimens collected from dung in China, Patrick Urban’s career has focused on insects that are easy to overlook. The German biologist specialises in dung beetle taxonomy and ecology, with particular attention to the Onthophagini group found across the Palearctic and Indomalayan regions. His work…
a 3D-printed outer mold negatives; b Assembled configuration of the outer mold negatives; c 3D-printed core negatives; d Assembled configuration of the core negatives. Image Credit: Nature Researchers have recreated the logic of an ancient Chinese bronze-casting technique with digital modelling, 3D printing and substitute materials, cutting a process that traditionally takes weeks to less…
In 1967, NASA sent flour beetle pupae into space aboard the Biosatellite II experiment to examine how spaceflight and radiation could affect insect development. The mission exposed the insects to conditions that could not easily be reproduced on the ground, allowing researchers to compare their development with that of ground controls. One of the clearest…
Image Credit: AI Generated Scientists have identified a previously unknown species of fungus after isolating it from the faeces of a giant panda. Named ‘Mucor melanoleucus,’ it belongs to a group of fungi commonly found in soil and decaying organic material. To work out exactly where it belonged, researchers examined its physical features, observed how…
A restored 25-acre coastal wetland on the southern shore of western Lake Erie was used continuously by millions of aquatic animals after it was reconnected to nearby waterways, according to a four-year acoustic monitoring study led by researchers at the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The scientific assessment, published in the journal Aquatic Ecosystem Health…
After a 25-acre Lake Erie wetland was reconnected A restored 25-acre coastal wetland on the southern shore of western Lake Erie was used continuously by millions of aquatic animals after it was reconnected to nearby waterways, according to a four-year acoustic monitoring study led by researchers at the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The scientific…
Arctic ice with flags of countries participating in Operation Ice Camp 2026 and Havguard’s communications device, enclosed in a polycarbonate pressure vessel The Arctic sea is becoming noisier and harder to reach. Beneath its frozen surface, cracking ice, marine mammals and passing ships create a constantly changing underwater soundscape. For scientists trying to understand this…
Image: AI representation of a way to turn astronaut poop into a sterile, odour-free material that could be recycled For astronauts travelling far beyond Earth, even the most ordinary human waste becomes a serious engineering problem. On a long-duration mission, there is no convenient rubbish collection, unlimited storage space or easy way to send unwanted…
