Besides chimps, the birds are the only known nonhumans to use a tool kit Forget screwdrivers or drills. A stick and a straw make for a great cockatoo tool kit. Some Goffin’s cockatoos (Cacatua goffiniana) know whether they need to have more than one tool in claw to topple anContinue Reading
The ring lies outside a typical, mathematically determined distance from the small world The dwarf planet Quaoar has a ring that is too big for its metaphorical fingers. While all other rings in the solar system lie within or near a mathematically determined distance of their parent bodies, Quaoar’s ringContinue Reading
Self-awareness may be more widespread among animals than we once thought Some fish can recognize their own faces in photos and mirrors, an ability usually attributed to humans and other animals considered particularly brainy, such as chimpanzees, scientists report. Finding the ability in fish suggests that self-awareness may be farContinue Reading
The animal might use spines on its throat to recognize potential mates instead of calls A newfound species of frog doesn’t ribbit. In fact, it doesn’t make any sound at all. Many frogs have unusual characteristics, from turning translucent to being clumsy jumpers. The recently discovered amphibian lacks a voice.Continue Reading
Gallium plus magnetism equals something straight out of Terminator 2 Shape-shifting liquid metal robots might not be limited to science fiction anymore. Miniature machines can switch from solid to liquid and back again to squeeze into tight spaces and perform tasks like soldering a circuit board, researchers report January 25Continue Reading
Gallium plus magnetism equals something straight out of Terminator 2 Shape-shifting liquid metal robots might not be limited to science fiction anymore. Miniature machines can switch from solid to liquid and back again to squeeze into tight spaces and perform tasks like soldering a circuit board, researchers report January 25Continue Reading
A female Tasmanian tiger that died in 1936, not a male named Benjamin, was actually the last surviving member of this extinct species. The female’s remains had been hidden in museum storage. It has long been believed that Benjamin, a male Tasmanian tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus), was the last surviving memberContinue Reading
Useful, cost-effective nuclear fusion remains a distant dream, despite a small step in the right direction from the government’s NIF reactor. Scientists have just announced a breakthrough in nuclear fusion ignition: For the first time the heart of a powerful fusion reactor has briefly generated more energy than was putContinue Reading
A small study links weighted-blanket use at bedtime to increased melatonin production. Using a weighted blanket at bedtime may boost the body’s production of the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin, a small study suggests. However, at this point, it’s unclear why the hefty blankets might increase melatonin levels and whether this significantlyContinue Reading
Not only did ankylosaurs like “Zuul” use their tails as weapons against potential predators, but they also used them to battle their peers. Equipped with massive tails studded with spikes, ankylosaurs were heavily armored herbivores that could do real damage in a fight. Paleontologists once thought that these tank-like dinosaursContinue Reading