WEIRD SCIENCE
Unique physiology allows the Australian marsupial to produce square-shaped feces that may aid communication. Scientists believe the cube shape of the wombat’s poo may aid in communication, as spherical feces are more likely to roll away. Photograph: mlharing/Getty Images/iStockphoto – By Natasha May …
Our canine companions aren’t the only animals that may be capable of magnetoreception. A terrier fitted with GPS remote tracking device and camera (Kateřina Benediktová / Czech University of Life Sciences) – By Courtney Sexton SmithsonianMag.Com 2020 Jul 27 – Last week, Cleo …
A coat of sand makes an effective armor. Eric LoPresti, CC BY-SA – Author: Eric LoPresti, Assistant Professor of Plant Biology, Ecology and Evolution, Oklahoma State University 2021 Jan 20 – Imagine the texture of a plant. Many may come to mind – …
Australia’s dingo fences, built to protect livestock from wild dogs, stretch for thousands of kilometers. Marian Deschain/Wikimedia, CC BY-SA – Authors: Alex McInturff, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of California Santa Barbara Christine Wilkinson, Ph.D. Candidate in Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, …
The grass has a bad rap in the U.S. as an invasive nuisance, but the plant can quickly sequester at least double—and maybe even six times—the amount of carbon as a similar stand of trees. Three species of farm-cultivated bamboo towering in Hawkinsville, …
Multiple queens ensure colonies have a steady output of workers. Ryan Reihart, CC BY-SA – By Ryan Reihart, Teaching Assistant and Ph.D. Candidate of Ecology, University of Dayton 2021 Jan 21 – The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. …
Jennifer Lieberman, author of Power Lines shares with us some thoughts on our dependency on electricity and what it means in the wake of Hurricane Irma. – by Jennifer Lieberman Originally published Monday, 2017 Sep 18 – I live in Jacksonville, Florida. As you may …
Moose, a mixed-breed dog from the Nebraska Humane Society, trains in odor-detection work. Bill Cotton/CSU, CC BY-ND – By Glen J. Golden, Research Scientist/Scholar I, Colorado State University 2021 Jan 13 – Editor’s note: As COVID-19 continues to spread worldwide, scientists are …
Cape Town residents queued up for water as the taps nearly ran dry in 2018. Morgana Wingard/Getty Images – Author: Yadu Pokhrel, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Michigan State University Contributor: Farshid Felfelani, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Michigan State University 2021 Jan …
The bizarre sanitarium staple that became a spreadable obsession. Veteran food critic Florence Fabricant has called peanut butter “the pâté of childhood.” (Dan Saelinger) – By Kate Wheeling Smithsonian Magazine 2021 Jan/Feb – North Americans weren’t the first to grind peanuts—the Inca beat …
