Light-Smelling Mice
Mice that can smell light help neurobiologists study olfaction.
Butterfly Medicine
Butterflies use plant-based medicine, but only when it is needed most.
Podcast
UNUSUAL ANIMALS - Mice that smell light, asexual boa constrictors, unloving lobsters, butterfly medicine, and why simply being pink isn't good enough for flamingos.
Flamingo Makeup
Just being pink isn't good enough for a flamingo. A new study reveals that they apply makeup to their feathers to stand out even more.
Ant Epigenetics
In some ant species, queens and workers are genetically identical. A new study reveals how they develop different behaviors and appearance.
Podcast
PSYCHOLOGY: Why listening to half of a cell phone conversation is so distracting, how we choose which hand to use, why we'll pay more if we can touch a product, and the mechanisms behind a fast-acting antidepressant.
Mad Cow Eyes
It may be possible to detect mad cow disease by shining light into an animal's eyes.
Podcast
ANIMALS: How dolphins breathe, sea snails that hide their gender, the genetics and epigenetics of ant colonies, and looking mad-cow disease in the eye.
Pain-Killing Snails
A compound from cone snail saliva may be an extremely efficient painkiller.
Dolphin DNA
Scientists are testing a new method for obtaining DNA samples from dolphins.
Pigeon Illusions
A listener asks: Why do pigeons bob their heads back and forth when they walk?
Fearless Aphids
Habituating crop-munching aphids to their own distress pheromone may make them more vulnerable to ladybugs.
Podcast
ANIMALS: A new way to sample dolphin DNA, pain-relief from sea snail venom, beetles born with bifocals, and why pigeons bob their heads when they walk.
Tail-Wagging Birds
A listener asks: Why do some birds bob their tails up and down?
Podcast
ANIMAL UPDATE: Beating aphids at their own game, why some birds bob their tails, ancient terror birds of South America, and more.
Photo licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
GNU_Free_Documentation_License
Octopus Venom
Scientists think venom from Antarctic octopi may have pain-killing properties.
Podcast
CUTTING-EDGE MEDICINE: Re-growing joints and re-constructing faces, the link between gut bacteria and multiple sclerosis, and octopus venoms that could treat pain.
Penguin Calls
The steadiness of a male Adélie penguin's call is what attracts a mate.
Podcast
SCIENCE OF SOUND: Male penguins attract females by the sound of their voice, tropical wrens sing duets, and there's a new screening test for autism that analyzes speech patterns. Also: exposing "facilitated communication".
*Image originally appeared in: https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.0020406
Arctic Fish
Because of climate change, an Arctic fish's survival strategy might not work much longer.