WEIRD NATURE
Scientists in Germany have estimated how many ants there are on Earth. Depositphotos – By Michael Irving 2022 Sep 19 – The next time an inquisitive four-year-old asks how many ants there are on Earth, you can be ready to fire back a specific …
Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland features around 40,000 exposed polygonal columns of basalt in perfect vertical sections. Chris Hill/Photodisc via Getty Images – By Maxim Lavrentovich, Assistant Professor of Theoretical Biophysics, University of Tennessee Published: 2022 Sep 19 – Curious Kids is a …
The gut microbiome may also play a role in personalized medicine. nopparit/iStock via Getty Images Plus – By Taichi A. Suzuki, Postdoctoral Research Associate in Microbiome Science, Max Planck Institute for Biology And Ruth Ley, Director, Department of Microbiome Science, Max Planck Institute …
Phages can sense bacterial DNA damage, which triggers them to replicate and jump ship. Design Cells/iStock via Getty Images Plus – By Ivan Erill, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland, Baltimore County – Published: 2022 Sep 15 – After more than …
Walking vertically – or even upside down – is a piece of cake for ants. pecchio/iStock via Getty Images Plus – By Deby Cassill, Associate Professor of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida Published: 2022 Sep 12 – Curious Kids is a series …
Mosquitoes need to feed on blood in order to reproduce. But how do they choose whom to feed on? boonchai wedmakawand/Moment via GettyImages – By Jonathan Day, Emeritus Professor of Medical Entomology, University of Florida Published: 2022 Sep 09 – It’s rare to …
In 2020, scientists found sparkling Peinaleopolynoe on hydothermal vents in the eastern Pacific – and were irresistibly reminded of the king of rock’n’roll. A close-up of Peinaleopolynoe orphanae, one of the species of hungry scale-worms that scientists named in 2020. Photograph: Greg Rouse …
An artist’s impression of Brasilodon, a 225-million-year old animal that scientists claim is now the earliest known mammal. 2022 Anatomical Society/Wiley – By Michael Irving 2022 Sep 08 – Paleontologists have identified the earliest known mammal – a small shrew-like animal that lived about …
Temperatures broke records in California over Labor Day weekend 2022, and the forecast for Sept. 6 was well above normal across the U.S. West. National Weather Service – By William Gallus, Professor of Atmospheric Science, Iowa State University Last Updated: 2022 Sep 05 …
Highly Commended – Nature. Thousands of earthquakes shook the Reykjanes peninsula in an orchestrated prelude to an eruption, until the floor of the Geldigadalir valley gave way to the uncontainable magmatic pressure and split open, letting molten rock gush forth in an awe-inspiring …