Animals, features and articles | Educational Science

Nov 29, 2021

New video reveals how 'caterpillar soup' transforms into shimmering butterfly wings

To transform into a butterfly, a caterpillar must first dissolve into a goopy soup within its chrysalis. Now, in striking new videos, scientists have revealed how this goo reassembles into the delicate scales on a butterfly's wings. To watch this process unfold in living caterpillars undergoing metamorphosis, the researchers behind...

Dec 1, 2021

Ants vomit into each other's mouths to form social bonds

Ants have social networks just like humans do, but instead of exchanging information through posts and comments, they vomit into each other's mouths. Most insects have a foregut, a midgut and a hindgut. However, for social insects, the foregut has become sort of a 'social stomach,' said Adria LeBoeuf, an...

Dec 16, 2021

Newfound millipede breaks world record for the most legs

A newfound species of millipede has more legs than any other creature on the planet — a mind-boggling 1,300 of them. The leggy critters live deep below Earth's surface and are the only known millipedes to live up to their name. The word 'millipede' has always been a bit of...

Feb 19, 2022

What do ants smell like?

Skunks are notoriously stinky. The musk ox, true to its name, emits a musky scent during mating season. And for some lucky owners, dog paws smell like corn chips. But these are not the only members of the animal kingdom that are smelly. Perhaps one of the most peculiar stinky...

Mar 4, 2022

Anal bulbs, detachable butt hairs and booty camouflage: Welcome to #InverteButtWeek on Twitter

Sometimes the best view of an insect, spider, crab or clam is the sight of its rear end. Animal butts come in a mind-bending variety of shapes and sizes, and the butts of invertebrates — animals without backbones — are especially diverse and often delightfully weird. From marine worms with...

Apr 22, 2022

Swiftie scientist names millipede species after Taylor Swift

Scientists have described a previously unknown species of millipede in the Appalachian Mountains — and named it after pop superstar Taylor Swift. Researchers discovered the millipede, along with 16 other newly described millipede species, as part of an extensive research project to sequence the DNA of species in the Nannaria...

Apr 26, 2022

Venomous bloodworms grow deadly copper fangs with totally metal trick

A venomous bloodworm species grows bizarre, deadly metal teeth, and now scientists know how: with a single, simple protein that transforms copper deposits located at the bottom of the seafloor into fearsome fangs. Bloodworms (Glycera dibranchiata) are segmented, bright-red marine worms that can grow to be 14 inches (35 centimeters)...

May 19, 2022

What's the difference between a moth and a butterfly?

Say the word butterfly and a brilliant, orange-and-black-winged Monarch butterfly may fly through your mind. Say moth, meanwhile, and the brain may conjure up an image of a dull, brown-winged pest that nibbles holes through clothing. But is appearance really the main difference between these two types of winged insects?...

Jul 22, 2022

Monarch butterflies teetering ‘on the edge of collapse,’ added to endangered species list

The migratory monarch butterfly has joined the endangered species list. On Thursday (July 21), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed the butterfly, a subspecies of monarch (Danaus plexippus) as endangered, indicating that the subspecies is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild. The main threats...

Aug 9, 2022

Creepy deep-sea 'vanilla Vader' woodlouse is 25 times bigger than a land louse

A colossal, creamy yellow woodlouse relative that has a vague resemblance to Darth Vader has been discovered deep below the ocean surface in the Gulf of Mexico, a new study finds. At more than 10 inches (26 centimeters) long, the creature is 2,500% larger than common roly polies, or woodlice...

Sep 1, 2022

Swarms of 'mini-shark' beach bugs are on a foot-biting rampage in California

Beachgoers in Southern California are being targeted by swarms of tiny, aggressive sea bugs, previously dubbed mini-sharks, that seem to have a thing for feet. The shrimplike creatures have been snapping at the ankles of locals promenading along the shoreline, leaving people hopping around in pain, according to local news...

Oct 21, 2022

The Truth About Red Food Dye Made from Bugs

Starbucks will stop using a red food dye made from bugs, its president recently wrote in a blog post. Despite the attention Starbucks has received for using the insect-based dye in some of its products, the coffee purveyor is far from the only user of this additive. Anytime you see...

Feb 28, 2023

Insect that flings pee with a butt catapult is 1st known example of 'superpropulsion' in nature

Relatives of cicadas known as sharpshooter insects can catapult pee droplets at superfast speeds, revealing the first known example of superpropulsion in nature, a new study finds. This newly discovered effect helps the bugs save energy during peeing and may inspire better self-cleaning devices and soft robotic engines, scientists noted....

Mar 9, 2023

1st complete map of an insect's brain contains 3,016 neurons

Scientists have unveiled the first complete map of an insect's brain. The comprehensive map, called a connectome, took 12 years of meticulous work to construct, and shows the location of all 3,016 neurons in the brain of a larval fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster). Between those brain cells are 548,000 points...

May 1, 2023

Which animal kills the most people every year?

The animal kingdom is full of deadly weapons. A lion's teeth can rip apart flesh with ferocious intensity, rattlesnakes can inject toxins into the bloodstream and hippos can kill you with their powerful jaws. These are just a few examples of deadly creatures. But which animal kills the most humans?...