Science

A worker ant of the species Temnothorax nylanderi infected with the tapeworm Anomotaenia brevis, recognizable by its yellowish coloration, alongside an uninfected worker (Credit: Susanne Foitzik) Deep inside the damp leaf litter of the Lenneberg Forest near Mainz, Germany, tiny worker ants of the species Temnothorax nylanderi are living surprisingly long lives. While a normal…

Image Credit: Jake Brooker / Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage Trust Our closest animal relatives, bonobos and chimpanzees, share a quick hug or a pat on the back before having their meal, to keep the tensions from rising and maintain peace among them, as their hunger could create conflict within the group. For years, scientists believed these…

From a great distance, the planet could easily give the wrong first impression. Seen in visible light, it appears as a rich blue world, bringing to mind the familiar colour of Earth as viewed from orbit. Yet the resemblance ends almost immediately. Instead of oceans reflecting sunlight, this distant planet is wrapped in an atmosphere…

Hand reaching into a mosquito enclosure. Credit: Credit: Edwin Remsberg / University of Maryland Low-income urban neighbourhoods in Baltimore and Washington, DC, have higher mosquito numbers partly because of the types of trees growing on their streets and in empty lots, according to new research published in the Journal of Medical Entomology.The study, co-authored by…

Giant sequoias (Image Credit: Canva) California’s giant sequoias have stood tall for thousands of years, surviving droughts, storms and countless natural fires. Yet, in just two wildfire seasons, these ancient giants suffered unprecedented losses. Between 2020 and 2021, record-breaking wildfires are estimated to have killed nearly 17% of the world’s mature giant sequoias, roughly one…

Still, the outlook for Hawaii’s snails is uncertain, symbolizing a new era in the conservation of endangered species. In 1955, wildlife officials in Hawaii released a meat-eating “cannibal” snail to control an invasive pest. But the plan went terribly wrong. Instead of eating the pest, the predator turned on the islands’ rare native tree snails,…

The night sky has inspired people for thousands of years, but scientists now say it could look very different in the future. The researchers at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) warn that ambitious plans to launch huge numbers of satellites into Earth’s orbit could make the night sky much brighter than it is today.While many…

Two threatened marsupials are being reintroduced to the Shark Bay World Heritage area in order to advance species conservation and ecosystem restoration. A new study from Edith Cowan University (ECU) confirmed that the presence of fungal food resources is important for supporting this effort.The study published in the journal Ecosystems and led by Edith Cowan…

Scientists are checking if an underwater curtain is what will keep an Antarctic glacier from slowly melting due to warm water. The proposal is to install an underwater curtain about 80 kilometres long and up to 150 metres high in front of the Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica. Between January and March 2026, an expedition…