Sharks were almost wiped out in an extinction 19 million years ago
3 June 2021
Sharks living in the open ocean experienced a previously unknown mass extinction event about 19 million years ago that wiped out nearly 90 per cent of the predators
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Premium
Right whales born in 1981 grew a metre longer than they do today
3 June 2021
Surveillance of right whales in the North Atlantic show that individuals born today will grow to be a metre shorter, on average, than whales born in the early 1980s
Puppies are born with the genetic ability to understand humans
3 June 2021
Domestication has selected dogs with genetic traits that equip puppies with the social skills to interact with humans, even at a very young age
Parasitic ants keep evolving to lose their smell and taste genes
2 June 2021
When parasitic ants move into another species’ colony, they outsource foraging to the host ants – which may be why several species of parasitic ants have lost the genes for taste and smell
Elephant trunks suck up water at speeds of 540 kilometres per hour
1 June 2021
Elephants use extreme suction to hold water and food in their trunks, often inhaling at speeds that are nearly 30 times the speed we exhale air when we sneeze
