Alcoholic fruit may help plants recruit mammals to spread their seeds
19 July 2023
Measurements of alcohol levels in fruits collected in a Costa Rican forest reveal that those eaten by mammals contain higher levels of alcohol
-
Subject
-
Section
-
Type
-
Topics
-
Author
-
Issue
-
Premium
Dehorning may affect how rhinos interact and establish territory
13 June 2023
Black rhinos are commonly dehorned to prevent poaching, but monitoring data suggests the practice may have an impact on their social interactions
Zebrafish produce sunscreen to protect their embryos from UV light
12 June 2023
Zebrafish eggs contain a compound called gadusol that acts as a sunscreen to protect the developing embryos from the sun’s rays
Male masturbation in primates evolved to cut chance of catching STIs
7 June 2023
Masturbation in male primates seems to have evolved to boost reproductive success and cut the chance of getting a sexually transmitted infection, but the picture isn’t so clear for females
Seagulls choose their meals based on what people nearby are eating
23 May 2023
Given a choice between two crisp packets, herring gulls pick the same colour as one a nearby human is eating from 95 per cent of the time
Gibbons plan ahead to beat competitors to the best breakfast spots
16 May 2023
Skywalker gibbons remember the locations of the most desirable foods and set off earlier when they want to eat fruit for breakfast
Assassin bugs cover themselves in sticky plant resin to trap prey
25 April 2023
By covering themselves in resin from spinifex grass, Australian assassin bugs improve their chances of catching flies and ants, in a rare case of tool use in insects
Spotting the way octopus stripes vary could help us conserve them
12 April 2023
The configuration of brown and white stripes on pygmy zebra octopuses (Octopus chierchiae) varies between individuals, which could help researchers monitor them in the wild
Male orchid bees craft unique perfumes from flowers – now we know why
12 April 2023
The function of the mysterious perfume blended by male orchid bees from the flowers they visit has finally been figured out
Monkeys with human-like hands can be fooled by sleight-of-hand magic
4 April 2023
Capuchins, which have hands similar to ours, are deceived by a sleight-of-hand trick. But marmosets, which lack opposable thumbs, aren’t fooled
