Category Archives: ScienceNOW
A Fly’s Imperfect Disguise
from ScienceNOW Daily News March 21, 2012 The fly on the left is a puzzle. In theory, it should have evolved to look just as wasplike as the one on the right, the better to ward off hungry birds. But … Continue reading
Why Butterflies Sleep Together
from ScienceNOW Daily News March 20, 2012 When it’s time to settle in for the night, red postman butterflies (Heliconius erato) often roost in groups of four or five. To figure out why, researchers hung several thousand fake versions of … Continue reading
3-D Vision for Tiny Eyes
from ScienceNOW Daily News January 27, 2012 With their keen vision and deadly-accurate pounce, jumping spiders are the cats of the invertebrate world. For decades, scientists have puzzled over how the spiders’ miniature nervous systems manage such sophisticated perception and … Continue reading
Could Climate Change Alter Lizard Learning?
from ScienceNOW Daily News January 10, 2012 The temperature of a nest can affect a hatchling lizard’s size, speed, and sex. Now, the reptiles can add smarts to the list. Researchers have found that lizards incubated in warmer environments may … Continue reading
A 44-Million-Year-Old Hitchhiker
from ScienceNOW Daily News November 8, 2011 Talk about a ride gone wrong. A tiny mite climbed onto a spider’s back at least 44 million years ago, but the spider stumbled into a glob of sticky tree sap. That makes … Continue reading
Laundry Lint Pollutes the World’s Oceans
from ScienceNOW Daily News October 21, 2011 There’s nothing subtle about dryer lint: Clean the fluffy, gray mat off the filter or risk a fire. Washer lint, however, is sneaky. Nearly 2000 polyester fibers can float away, unseen, from a … Continue reading
A Cheap Imitation Is Sometimes Best
from ScienceNOW Daily News June 21, 2011 The animal kingdom is full of fakes: tasty butterflies that look like toxic ones, harmless flies that look like bees, and spiders that look like ants, to name a few. It’s all a … Continue reading
Carnivorous Plant Feasts on Bat Dung
from ScienceNOW Daily News 25 January, 2011 A predator that can’t hunt won’t last very long. So when biologists found a carnivorous plant in Borneo that was bad at catching insects, they were puzzled. Just what does it eat to … Continue reading
Calorie Counters, Stand Tall
from ScienceNOW Daily News November 12, 2010 How many French fries did that 3-mile stroll burn off? It depends on how tall you are. When walking the same distance, short people burn more calories per pound of body weight than … Continue reading
Forget Mice, Elephants Really Hate Ants
from ScienceNOW Daily News 2 September 2010 A nose full of biting ants can really spoil your appetite. Especially if your nose is 3 meters long. African bush elephants (Loxodonta africana) avoid this discomfort by refusing to munch on acacia … Continue reading