Animals, features and articles | Educational Science

May 31, 2023

Do all animals go through adolescence?

Looking back on our teenage years often elicits a grimace — it's an awkward time, full of social faux pas, uncertainty and acne — but it's one that we all must pass through on our way to adulthood. But do other animals also experience adolescence? This period of life comprises...

Jan 31, 2023

Do mice really like cheese?

From Tom and Jerry to The Farmer in the Dell, pop culture is full of mice that love cheese. In fact, there's even a mouse mascot with the food in his name: Chuck E. Cheese. But do real mice actually crave a nutty, odorous Gruyere? Not exactly. To start, not...

Dec 31, 2022

Alaskan sea otters were brought back from the brink of extinction. Now wolves are hunting them.

After eradicating their deer prey, wolves on a remote Alaskan island have turned to voraciously hunting and consuming sea otters as their main food source, a new study has revealed. The discovery, made on the 20 square mile (52 square kilometers) Pleasant Island located roughly 40 miles (65 kilometers) west...

Dec 31, 2023

How 10 animals evolved their iconic features

Animals come in all shapes and sizes, and many have iconic features that make them memorable. From the long necks of giraffes to the oddly shaped heads of hammerhead sharks, here's how 10 remarkable animals evolved their signature features. Related: How long do new species take to evolve? 1. Turtle...

Dec 31, 2023

5 stories making science news this week: A T. rex saga and massive solar flare

It's the first week of 2024, and this week in science news has uncovered some glorious ancient artifacts, reignited a T. rex controversy and answered an age-old question — why is pee yellow? 1,500-year-old gold buckles discovered in Kazakhstan Archaeologists in Kazakhstan have discovered two gold belt buckles in a...

Jan 22, 2024

Camouflaged animals are hiding in every one of these photos — can you spot them all?

Discover the fascinating world of camouflage and masterful mimicry in this gallery of hidden animals. From elusive snow leopards to tiny mantises, these animals of all shapes and sizes can blend seamlessly into their environments. Walking leaves Just a photo of leaves? Take a closer look … Found across Asia,...

Jan 23, 2024

Can dogs and cats be allergic to humans?

Allergies are common in people, and they can often accompany animal contact, triggering symptoms such as itchy eyes and sneezing. But do allergies work the other way around? Can dogs and cats be allergic to us? According to Dr. Heather Edginton, an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the Cornell...

Jan 23, 2024

Pangolin courtship ritual and birth of a 'pangopup' captured in incredible, rare footage

Rare footage has captured the slow nighttime courtship ritual of pangolins — which ultimately led to the birth of a pangopup filmed clinging to its mother's back. For the new PBS series Big Little Journeys, videographers followed a pair of Taiwanese pangolins (Manis pentadactyla pentadactyla) in a forest in Taiwan....

Jan 23, 2024

Free radicals don't kill tardigrades — they're the secret to the tiny critters' invincibility

Scientists have finally discovered the molecular trick tardigrades use to enter a near-invincible state that protects them from extreme environments — including the cold vacuum of outer space. The tiny eight-legged creatures — known as water bears or moss piglets — thrive across our planet. Their abundance is partly due...

Jan 25, 2024

Tiny male marsupials sacrifice sleep for a chance at sex — then all die at once and get eaten

Male antechinuses live through just a single, extremely intense mating season. So to maximize their chances at sex, these little carnivorous marsupials waste as little time on sleep as possible, new research has found. During a three-week breeding period, males belonging to two species — dusky (Antechinus swainsonii) and agile...

Jan 27, 2024

Indian giant squirrel: The 'rainbow' rodent that is also the world's largest squirrel

Name: Indian giant squirrel or Malabar giant squirrel (Ratufa indica), nicknamed the rainbow squirrel Where it lives: Forests and woodlands in pockets across central and southern India What it eats: Fruits, leaves, bark, seeds, occasionally bird eggs and insects Why it's awesome: Although the stomach and arms of Indian giant...

Jan 28, 2024

Do any animals keep pets like humans do?

People love their pets. Around 60% of the U.S. population owns at least one pet and collectively spends more than $100 billion on them every year. But do any other animals have that kind of drive to care for a member of another species? Do any nonhuman animals keep pets?...

Jan 31, 2024

How fast can piranhas eat a dog?

When we think of piranhas, we often conjure up an image of fearsome predators that can strip an animal to its skeleton in seconds. Their bad reputation stems, in part, from President Theodore Roosevelt, who, after a trip to the Amazon, wrote that they were the most ferocious fish in...

Feb 13, 2024

Bizarre jellyfish with bright red cross for a stomach discovered in volcanic caldera off Japan

A strange,never-before-seen jellyfish with a distinctive stomach that looks like a red cross has been discovered inside a volcanic structure off the coast of Japan. Researchers spotted the jellyfish, which has been named the St. George's cross medusa (Santjordia pagesi), 2,664 feet (812 meters) below the Pacific Ocean's surface near...

Feb 16, 2024

Watch hypnotizing footage of mysterious deep-sea worm dancing in the twilight zone

Mesmerizing footage has captured a weird bioluminescent worm undulating through the twilight zone. Researchers from the Schmidt Ocean Institute spotted the deep-sea worm off the coast of Chile during a research cruise exploring seamounts in the area and posted the video to Facebook. They identified the creature as a segmented...