1+ day, 8+ hour ago  (1082+ words) A newly identified branch of the marsupial family tree is adding a surprising twist to the history of Australia's most distinctive mammals. The finding suggests that their evolution was more complicated, and more mysterious, than scientists previously understood. Marsupials first…...

3+ day, 4+ hour ago  (1023+ words) A major genomic analysis is changing scientists' understanding of koala evolution. The research indicates that koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) underwent a severe population decline about 100,000 years ago, well before humans reached Australia. Every koala alive today appears to descend from a…...

5+ day, 3+ hour ago  (603+ words) Humans have earned a reputation as "super-predators" because they hunt, trap, and fish on a scale unmatched by other predators. These activities can reshape animal behavior across entire landscapes. However, new research led by the Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian…...

6+ day, 2+ hour ago  (96+ words) The world's longest-running soil warming experiment has revealed an unexpected climate concern. After nearly four decades, researchers found that warming can cause microbes to break down stable soil carbon that scientists once believed was largely protected. That releases…...

1+ week, 2+ day ago  (312+ words) Scientists have discovered a previously unknown fossil goose that challenges a decades-old theory about the evolution of New Zealand's birds. The find suggests the country's giant flightless geese evolved from much more recent arrivals, revealing a…...

1+ week, 3+ day ago  (151+ words) A new study debunks the long-standing claim that baby rattlesnakes are more dangerous than adults. Researchers found that young rattlesnakes can control their venom just like adults, while adult snakes usually inject much more venom and cause more serious bites....

1+ week, 5+ day ago  (326+ words) Bumblebees are picking up dramatically more toxic heavy metals than honeybees, even when both species forage in the same places. Researchers warn that this hidden pollution could quietly reduce their ability to find food, reproduce, and keep colonies healthy....

2+ week, 18+ hour ago  (1130+ words) Around 20,000 years ago, a cave was home to generations of owls that regularly coughed up pellets containing the bones of their prey. Those discarded bones later became an unexpected resource for another group of animals. According to a new study…...

3+ week, 3+ day ago  (708+ words) A chance encounter with a young great white shark has prompted scientists to revisit more than a century and a half of records in an effort to better understand one of the Mediterranean Sea's most elusive predators. The unusual catch…...

3+ week, 5+ day ago  (545+ words) A hidden population of South African leopards has revealed a remarkable evolutionary story. Researchers analyzing entire leopard genomes discovered that the Cape Floristic Region’s leopards are not only much smaller than most African leopards, but also genetically distinct after being…...