BIOLOGY

Caterpillars Get Infection-Fighting Genes From Parasitic Wasps

The next butterfly you see flitting about might just be a genetically modified organism, given genes from a virus that protects it from other viruses. This isn’t the work of scientists trying to save pollinators, but parasitic wasps intent on rendering th

fir0002 | flagstaffotos.com.au via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-NC 3.0

The Strength of Spider Web Glue Is Affected by UV Light

No one has yet made an adhesive based on the spider’s glue. Now we're learning how it's affected by UV light.

How Do Plants Decide When to Flower?

Scientists pin down the chemical process that makes plants open up.

Even Deadbeat Bird Parents Keep an Eye on Their Kids

The brown-headed cowbird is never going to win any parenting awards.

Counting Wolves by Looking at Their Howls

Biologists think that images like these, which let them look at wolf howls instead of just listening to them, might help them better protect wolves.

Opencage via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0

Electric Eels Use Their High-Voltage Shocks to Locate Prey

Eels: As awesome as they are terrifying.

Weird Sea Slug Sniffs Out and Steals Its Food’s Defenses

Halimeda incrassata is a type of seaweed, and it’s pretty badass for an algae. But none of its defenses deter the sea slug Elysia tuca.

Meet the Bird that Imprisons its Prey

Humans aren’t the only animals that keep larders of food.

Why Do Some Farts Stink and Some Farts Don't?

Not all of the gas you pass is smelly. Here is the reason why some farts smell while others do not.

Doctors Find Fetus Inside 4-Year-Old Boy's Stomach

The rare condition is called fetus-in-fetu, or "a baby within a baby."

Babies May Need to Move Their Tongues to Understand Speech

A new study finds that babies can distinguish between sounds better if they can move their tongue.

Fossils Reveal How and When Giraffe Necks Grew Long

The giraffe's neck evolved in two stages, millions of years apart.

Neuroscientists Create a Digital Rat Brain

The scientists were able to get a small slice of digital brain to act like a real biological neocortex.

Rore bzh, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0

Corals' Competitors Can Be Accomplices Against Starfish

Coral reefs are in trouble. On these Pacific reefs, one of the major causes of coral loss is predation by the crown-of-thorns sea star.

Gagliano via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY 2.5

Damselfish Can Recognize Each Other’s Faces Using UV Vision

Ambon damselfish were able to identify the correct fish face with 75 percent accuracy.

Your Bones Are Electric (Sometimes)

Piezoelectricity can turn bones into batteries.

TristramBrelstaff, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0

Fungus Kills its Victims and Makes Them More Attractive

3-D Bone Marrow Model Made from Biosilk Generates Blood Platelets

The implications are enormous for people who suffer from platelet diseases or who are undergoing chemotherapy.

Snakes Use Limb-Enhancer Genes to Grow Penises

The segments of DNA have remained useful over the past 80 million years.

Didier Descouens via Wikimedia Commons // CC-BY-SA 4.0

8 Hard Facts About the Penis Bone

What is it, what does it do, and why don't humans have one?

How Mice Recognize Relatives They’ve Never Met

Mice recognize family members by scent

What Makes These Dominican Children Grow Penises at Puberty?

The phenomenon is so common it even has a name.

Legendary 'Blue Bastard Fish' Identified as a New Species

Scientists just confirmed what local fishermen have known for years.

Seagulls in Namibia Are Attacking Baby Seals

Lots of beach-goers find seagulls annoying, but usually the only harm they do is snatching away poorly-guarded snacks. On one particular beach, though, scientists have found that some gulls have a much more aggressive and grisly way of getting their meals

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