The last woolly mammoths on Earth were a sickly bunch. Dwarf woolly mammoths that lived on Siberia’s Wrangel Island until about 4,000 years ago were plagued by genetic problems, carrying DNA that increased their risk of diabetes, developmental defects and…
What would happen to life on Earth if the planet were supersized? For nearly four years, NASA’s Kepler spacecraft whisked through space, surveying our corner of the galaxy. It monitored more than 150,000 stars, looking for planets about the size…
Four endangered gorillas died suddenly in a Ugandan national park, apparently killed by a single lightning strike. Mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei), a subspecies of eastern gorilla, live at elevations of 8,000 to 13,000 feet (2,400 to 4,000 meters) in…
In this episode of Life’s Little Mysteries, we’ll take a closer look at some of the mysteries surrounding one of our closest animal companions: dogs. How did dogs get to be dogs; what do they dream about?; and do they…
Bruce the hyena shares a tender moment with a friend. D.C. Comics’ manic pixie criminal Harley Quinn gets it: Hyenas are delightful. In the movie “Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)” (2020, Warner Bros. Pictures), Ms.…
Earth’s largest known shark, Carcharocles megalodon, ruled the seas for more than 20 million years. The megalodon, which went extinct millions of years ago, was the largest shark ever to prowl the oceans and one of the largest fish on…
Twenty wriggling tawny sharks (Nebrius ferrugineus) were recently caught on video undulating on a beach on Mer Island, Australia. But why were the sharks shimmying in the sand? Though the sharks were gathered in shallow water, they weren’t stranded or…
Artist’s depiction of Gunakadeit joseeae. Scientists just discovered the remains of a weirdo sea creature with a “tweezer snout” that would have roamed the seas hundreds of millions of years ago. Known as thalattosaurs (“ocean lizard”), these reptiles measured up…
In today’s episode of our Life’s Little Mysteries podcast, we’ll take a closer look at one of the most puzzling animals on our planet, and one that you may share your home with: cats. Why do cats love boxes, why…
Members of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club with Punxsutawney Phil. As the legend goes, if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow on Feb. 2, six more weeks of winter weather lay ahead; no shadow indicates an early spring. Phil, a groundhog, has…
The newfound Araniella villanii is an orb-weaver spider, a group that uses math to spin their webs. A newly discovered neon-green spider that uses math to build its incredibly precise and consistent webs has just been named after the “Lady…
Humans have pumped about 2 trillion tons (1.8 trillion metric tons) of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere since the start of the Industrial Revolution, and the ocean has absorbed about 25% of it. This glut of greenhouse gases not…