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Sorry Darwin, but it turns out promiscuity benefits females too

9 March 2022

The female of the species has incorrectly been cast as a coy and submissive Victorian housewife. This couldn't be further from the truth, says Lucy Cooke

E7KTB1 US, New York City. View from the Empire State Building observation deck. Pigeon taking a rest.

Creatures living in our cities are evolving in some surprising ways

9 March 2022

From mosquitoes and rats to foxes and birds, the urban environment is transforming animals that live among us – but which new species should we expect next?

Beautiful images illustrate the dawn of modern botany

9 March 2022

These delicately detailed representations of plants by a founding figure of modern botany are given a new lease of life in the book Leonhart Fuchs: The New Herbal

How a rodent’s fear of cats shapes rainforests in Panama

8 March 2022

As rodents called agoutis avoid areas where ocelots prowl, they spread fewer of the palm seeds they eat, which could lead to a cascade of changes in biodiversity throughout Panama’s forests

The parthenogenetic mouse and the offspring. The parthenogenetic mouse was generated by targeted epigenetic rewriting of multiple imprinting control regions. The parthenogenetic mouse exhibited normal reproductive performance as an adult.

Mouse pups born from unfertilised eggs through genetic manipulation

7 March 2022

Parthenogenesis, the development of offspring from unfertilised eggs, was thought to be impossible in mammals, but researchers have used genetic trickery to make it happen

pics of mother/infant bonobos supplied by the study authors

Adjusting to a new sibling is highly stressful for bonobo infants

4 March 2022

Cortisol levels in bonobo infants jumped fivefold when they got a younger sibling and stayed high for 7 months, suggesting they found it extremely stressful

Zenithoptera lanei is a genus of dragonfly, Libellulidae family. Location: Near Presidente Figueiredo, Amazon rainforest, Brazil; Shutterstock ID 1161881227; purchase_order: -; job: -; client: -; other: -

Blue wings give morpho dragonflies stealth capabilities

3 March 2022

The way light reflects off morpho dragonflies’ bright blue wings helps the insects blend in with water when viewed from above, making them invisible to predators and prey

Dinosaur that broke its wrist may have fallen while mating

2 March 2022

A dinosaur bone unearthed in eastern Russia shows evidence of an injury the plant eater sustained when it fell awkwardly

Dense fern thickets close-up. Beautiful nature background with many ferns in scenic forest. Rich greenery among trees. Chaotic wild ferns in forest thicket. Vivid green texture of lush fern leaves.; Shutterstock ID 1694661649; purchase_order: -; job: -; client: -; other: -

Genes from bacteria may have helped plants colonise the land

1 March 2022

When aquatic plants first transitioned onto land, their success may have been due to genes they got from bacteria and fungi that let them take up nutrients from soil