Why putting broken pottery in your plant pot won't help with drainage
19 July 2023
Putting a layer of "crocks", or broken pottery, in the base of flower pots won't improve drainage – and may actually worsen it, says James Wong
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Premium
Pigs open doors to free companions in a possible show of empathy
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An experiment in which pigs showed an inclination to help other group members suggests they have an altruistic streak – but selfish motivations can’t be ruled out
Llamas solve problems faster after watching people do it
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Llamas are able to learn from other llamas and even more effectively from humans, possibly because thousands of years of domestication gave them the ability to read human social cues
Ancient alligator had a stubby snout and may have chomped on snails
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A fossil has been identified as an ancient alligator species with a very short snout, ridged skull and teeth made for crushing hard shells, suggesting that it may have munched on snails along with other prey
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Birds from two different species raise chicks together in one nest
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A pair of common redstarts and a pair of black redstarts were seen brooding in the same nest in Italy – a kind of cooperative breeding that has never been documented before
Some sea snakes have re-evolved the ability to see more colours
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Most snakes can see a limited range of colours, but the blue-banded sea snake has regained genes lost millions of years ago that may let them see ultraviolet and blue light
Early humans made jewellery from giant sloth bones
11 July 2023
The bones were shaped by people using stone tools before they were fossilised, adding new evidence for humans’ arrival in the Americas before the end of the last glacial period
