EurekAlert! - Science for Kids

Making tiny complex controlled shapes

Thu, 16 May 2013 00:00:00 EDT

A new study in the May 17 issue of Science reveals how to make minerals assemble themselves into complex but controlled architectures.

The secret lives of bubbles

Thu, 09 May 2013 00:00:00 EDT

A froth of soap suds, a handful of shaving cream or the mass of bubbles that sits on top of a freshly poured soda -- all of these things are foams or foam-like materials. They all have complex dynamics too, since the individual bubbles that make them up are constantly growing, popping and shape-shifting.

Robotic flies take to the skies

Thu, 02 May 2013 00:00:00 EDT

The common house-fly is one of nature's most agile fliers, capable of dodging flyswatters and carefully landing on flowers that are blowing in the wind. Now, researchers have designed a small, flying robot -- about the size of a house-fly -- that can execute the same tricky maneuvers.

Probing and proving gravity theory

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 00:00:00 EDT

Scientists have identified a neutron star, the densest kind of a star in the universe, which has helped them prove Einstein's theory of relativity in a place it's never been tested, a new study in Science reports.

Stressful conditions help moms help their babies

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 00:00:00 EDT

Pregnant squirrels may be able to help their babies before they are born simply by living in a crowded place, a new study in the journal Science reports.

Shining a light into the brain

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 00:00:00 EDT

Researchers have figured out a way to insert tiny electronic devices that can detect and control light into the brains of rodents without harming the animals. Until now, similar devices, like light sources and sensors, have been safely placed upon the brain. But, inserting such electronics directly into brain tissue has caused serious damage and irritation.

Continent-wide look at vole populations

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 00:00:00 EDT

Climate may be affecting vole populations across Europe, a new study in the journal Science reports.

Termites behind desert 'fairy circles'

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 00:00:00 EDT

A new study uncovers the origin of fairy circles, circular patches of perennial grasses with a barren center that grow in the desert on the southwest coast of Africa. The research appears in the March 29, 2013, issue of the journal Science.

Taking robots off-roading

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 EDT

Researchers can learn a lot from a lizard scampering across the desert sand or an insect walking across some gravel, according to a new study. Chen Li and colleagues studied how objects move across these types of "flowable" surfaces and designed a six-legged robot that can do it easily.

Wings not lost, just hidden in some insects

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 00:00:00 EDT

The only limbs that can grow upon a modern insect's back are wings and wing-like structures, and they only appear on the second and third segments of an insect's thorax -- between their head and their abdomen. However, some insects in the fossil record seem to have wing-like "pads" on many of their non-winged body segments.

Prairie dogs take cooperation over competition

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 00:00:00 EST

Why did the prairie dog cross the road? It might be because all of its close female relatives had already done so, according to a new study by John Hoogland. This researcher studied three different species of prairie dogs for more than 30 years and discovered that -- unlike many other animals -- prairie dogs tend to stay in the areas they are born until their close family members are gone.

For more food, we need wild bees

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 00:00:00 EST

Wild insects pollinate food crops more effectively than managed honeybees, a new study appearing online in Science Express reports.

Watching tiny particles in a Finland forest

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 00:00:00 EST

All over the world, tiny airborne particles from volcanoes, dust, pollution and other sources float around in the atmosphere. New field studies in a boreal forest in Hyytiälä, Finland, and laboratory experiments reveal how these tiny particles, called atmospheric aerosols, are formed from gas molecules, a new study appearing in the journal Science reports.

Does melting ice in the Arctic mean more algae?

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 00:00:00 EST

Last year, Arctic sea ice fell to its lowest levels ever recorded. During that time, when the ice was the thinnest it had been in decades, scientists aboard the research vessel Polarstern found large amounts of an algae, known as Melosira arctica, growing under it.

What did the ancestor to most mammals look like?

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 00:00:00 EST

A tiny, furry-tailed creature was the earliest ancestor of the placental mammals, according to a new study. That is, it was the ancestor of all the mammals except the marsupials and the small handful of mammals that lay eggs. The findings also help answer a decades-old debate about when the placental mammals first evolved.

Pigeon genome opens a door to the past

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:00:00 EST

The striking differences in behavior, feathers and color patterns among various breeds of pigeons captured the attention of Sir Charles Darwin long ago. While working on his now-famous theory of evolution, Darwin repeatedly referred to pigeons as dramatic examples of diversity. In fact, today, there are more than 350 different breeds of pigeon on record.

Can we name all of Earth's species?

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 00:00:00 EST

It's easy to feel overwhelmed by news about how so many of Earth's species are facing extinction. Some experts have even despaired that we won't be able to identify all of the different species of plants, animals and fungi before they disappear forever.

Animals in the Arctic linked by climate

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 00:00:00 EST

Few creatures call the high Arctic home year-round. But, for four animals -- reindeer, birds known as rock ptarmigans, small rodents called sibling voles, and arctic foxes, which eat the other three -- Norway's tiny Spitsbergen island is home, even during the freezing winters. Now, researchers have shown that extreme weather, like icy winter rains, can bring the birth and death rates of all four species into sync with one another.

Artificial muscles powered by water

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 00:00:00 EST

Researchers have designed artificial muscles, or actuators, that react to moisture in the environment. These actuators expand when they absorb water and contract when they expel it. So, when the researchers place them on a flat, wet surface, the actuators swell up and then topple over continuously.

El Niño events are currently unpredictable

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 00:00:00 EST

Some climate events, like monsoon seasons, are thought to be influenced by greenhouse gases. But, so far, researchers have not been able to tie a quirk in the global climate, known as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), to any other natural or human-made processes. The ENSO occurs roughly every five years, and it warms large stretches of the Pacific Ocean while influencing rainfall around the world.

New space rock is rare type of meteorite

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 00:00:00 EST

On April 22, 2012, several radar instruments -- typically used for tracking weather -- detected a fast-moving fireball in the skies over California and Nevada. Many people also saw it with their own eyes.

Darcin helps mice remember where scent marks are

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 00:00:00 EST

Scent marks, or the odors that mammals leave behind to mark their territory, contain cocktails of chemicals that pass on information about the animal's gender and social status. Animals regularly revisit scent marks to get more information about the creature leaving them, but until now researchers have not known how animals relocate these scent marks days or even weeks after first finding them.

How do moths choose their flowers?

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 00:00:00 EST

Have you ever wondered how moths know which flowers to visit for nectar? A new study shows that a particular kind of moth -- the hawkmoth -- has specific patterns of brain activity for flower odors that it is naturally attracted to. On top of that, these moths can learn to associate new odors with nectar without forgetting their original, natural preferences, according to researchers.

Cracked skin and crocodile scales

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 00:00:00 EST

Researchers have discovered how the scaly skin pattern on crocodile faces and jaws is created, reports a new study in the journal Science.

On other planets, a new kind of magnesium oxide

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 00:00:00 EST

Magnesium oxide, one of the simplest minerals on Earth, transforms into liquid metal under certain conditions likely to exist inside giant, Earth-like planets known as "super Earths," reports a new study in the journal Science.

Rainforest insect hears like a human

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 00:00:00 EST

The ear of the South American rainforest katydid sits on the insect's hind legs, and it's one of the smallest of all hearing organs. But in other ways, the katydid ear is remarkably similar to the mammalian ear, researchers have discovered.

Corals signal to gobies, 'come clean me!'

Thu, 08 Nov 2012 00:00:00 EST

On the reefs of Fiji, corals and goby fish help each other out, a new study shows. The corals offer the gobies food and shelter, and the gobies protect the corals from toxic seaweed.

Studying the solar system's first solids

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 00:00:00 EDT

The first solids to form in our solar system more than four and a half billion years ago were calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions, or CAIs, and round grains called chondrules. They can both be found in meteorites today.

Early birds of a feather mated together?

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 00:00:00 EDT

The earliest feathers may have served decoration purposes, instead of helping animals to fly, according to a new study.

How did the moon form?

Wed, 17 Oct 2012 00:00:00 EDT

A giant impact on Earth could have produced a moon chemically similar to Earth, two new studies appearing online in the Oct. 18 issue of Science Express report.

Black glass in new Martian meteorite

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Last summer, a meteorite from Mars plunged into the Moroccan desert. A new study appearing in the Oct. 12 issue of in the journal Science shows that the rock was ejected from the surface of Mars 700,000 years ago.

Some dinos' teeth rivaled mammals' for plant-chewing

Thu, 04 Oct 2012 00:00:00 EDT

The teeth of duck-billed dinosaurs called "hadrosaurids" were far more complex than those of other reptiles, according to a new study. In fact, they were much more like the teeth of horses, bison or elephants, which are built for grinding tough, gritty plant material, the researchers say.

Vanishing electronic medical implants

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Imagine a biomedical implant (designed to help treat surgical infections or stimulate bone growth, for example), disappearing into the body after it is no longer needed.

What cheetahs and house cats have in common

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 00:00:00 EDT

The coats and color patterns of many domestic house cats are similar to those of wild cats, like tigers and cheetahs, suggesting that those traits are controlled by the same genes in different species. Now, a new study in Science shows that mutations in two specific genes can lead to the tabby patterns seen in domestic house cats as well as the spots on wild cheetahs.

Why do mom killer whales live so long?

Thu, 13 Sep 2012 00:00:00 EDT

A new study may help explain why mother killer whales live so long after having children. Most animals must survive on their own once they reach adulthood, yet a new study published in the Sept. 14, 2012, issue of the journal Science shows that the presence of mother killer whales improves the survival of their adult sons, which in turn increases the number of grandchildren the adult sons produce.

The pollution that grows at night

Thu, 06 Sep 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Nitrogen oxides -- you can call them "Nox" -- are one kind of pollution that comes from burning gasoline and other fuels. They're produced when we drive cars, when we heat our homes, and in many other ways. Scientists have shown that they are involved in chemical reactions in the Earth's atmosphere that are warming up our planet.

2 stars and 2 planets?

Tue, 28 Aug 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Astronomers have known that, unlike Earth, some planets orbit two stars instead of just one. But now, data from NASA's Kepler spacecraft has revealed a planetary system that consists of two planets orbiting around two stars. The discovery shows that a pair of stars, or a binary star system, isn't limited to just one planet.

The birthplace of English's first ancestor language

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 00:00:00 EDT

The language you're reading right now, English, is one of the Indo-European languages. These languages make up one of the largest language families in the world and are spoken by people as far apart as Iceland and Sri Lanka.

Like an octopus, flexible robot can change colors

Thu, 16 Aug 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Researchers have developed a soft, flexible robot that can change colors to blend in or stand out in its environment. The robot is a rubbery, four-limbed machine, with many tiny channels running through it. It's tethered to a control system. Forcing air through the channels makes the machine "walk."

Working with our waste

Thu, 09 Aug 2012 00:00:00 EDT

This week, a special issue of Science highlights the complicated issue of human waste. It's far from a glamorous subject, but waste is unavoidable. In fact, depending on one's lifestyle, each of us can generate tons of waste -- from table scraps and old newspapers to broken mp3 players and outdated computers -- over our lifetimes. And if you include all the waste from farms, mines, and industries, the total really begins to skyrocket.

To fool other birds, cuckoos use multiple disguises

Thu, 02 Aug 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Social learning, or learning from the behavior of others, might play a larger role in animal mimicry -- or the art of disguise -- than researchers ever realized, according to a new study of common cuckoos.

The bigger the horn, the better the mate

Thu, 26 Jul 2012 00:00:00 EDT

In the past, researchers have generally assumed that super-sized body parts -- like beetle horns, deer antlers, and extra-long bird tails -- were symbols of a male's fitness. Now, a new report has confirmed that these "exaggerated" traits are, in fact, honest signals of male quality. It also demonstrates how the growth of these super-sized body parts may be affected by nutrition and insulin signaling in the body.

Plants turned on by oxygen levels?

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Germ cells are the building blocks of reproductive cells, like sperm and eggs. And in humans, these germ cells are established during the early stages of development and then maintained until an individual is ready to have kids.

There's still time to save species in the Amazon...

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 00:00:00 EDT

... but the clock's ticking, a new study shows. The Brazilian Amazon is the largest continuous forest on Earth, and it holds more than 40 percent of the world's tropical rainforest.

What caused an ancient coral catastrophe?

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Millions of tiny animals create ocean coral reefs when they create shells for themselves out of a cement-like ooze. These reefs are important because they provide a home for lots of different kinds of sea life. When the reefs get "sick" and the coral stop building, it can be a sign that something major has changed in the ocean.

Unusual eyes help fish see in the murk

Thu, 28 Jun 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Elephantnose fish are long-snouted, freshwater fish that live in dim, murky environments. Unlike other animals that are adapted to the dark, these fish do have eyes and rely partly on their vision to find their way around.

Lake in Siberia offers window to complex Arctic climate

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Climate in the Arctic region of the planet is more complex than it is in other areas of the world, which has made it difficult for researchers to understand how climate really works there. Now, however, researchers have discovered a tool that gives them a glimpse of what Arctic climate may have been like over the past 2.8 million years.

World's first cave paintings older than expected

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 00:00:00 EDT

A new study has found that some cave paintings in northwestern Spain are much older than researchers had expected, raising questions about who created them. According to Alistair Pike and colleagues, the tradition of decorating caves must have began in Europe more than 40,000 years ago -- an age that coincides with the arrival of modern humans.

This shrimp has a hammer

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 00:00:00 EDT

The hammer-like claws of the peacock mantis shrimp can smash through mollusk shells, the heads of small fish, even a glass aquarium wall. The claws themselves stay surprisingly strong, even after being damaged while delivering so many blows.

Opium poppies pave the way for a cancer-killing compound

Thu, 31 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT

The opium poppy plant, Papaver somniferum, is the source of certain illegal narcotics, like morphine and heroin. But, the plant also produces a non-addictive compound called noscapine that acts as both a cough suppressant and tumor-killing agent in humans.

Climate change works for the brown argus butterfly

Thu, 24 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT

A pretty brown butterfly with orange spots on its wings, called the brown argus butterfly, is thriving in the United Kingdom for an interesting reason. Summers have become warmer in the last twenty years, and this change opens up new possibilities for where the butterfly can lay its eggs.

Fragments of rocks that hit the moon

Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT

While looking at rocks collected on the moon during the Apollo mission, scientists have found tiny fragments of meteorites that hit the moon long ago.

Earliest known Mayan astronomical calendar

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT

A painted room in a Mayan temple in Guatemala shows numerical records of lunar and possibly planetary cycles, scientists report in a new study. The hieroglyphs are from the 9th century, making this calendar older than the records in the Mayan Codices, which were books written on bark paper a few centuries before Columbus landed.

A different kind of cave treasure

Thu, 03 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT

What do you think the scientists who explored the amazing caves in these pictures were looking for? Bats? Skeletons? Pirate treasure? Actually, it was the stalagmites that they were after, because these spiky formations contain important chemical clues to ancient climate.

Did fire or ice shape the valleys of Mars?

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EDT

A particular region of Mars, known as the Athabasca Valles, can be identified by polygon-shaped patterns on the ground. This part of the planet is a network of valleys located near the equator of Mars, and for years astronomers have puzzled over what kind of processes shaped it.

Polar bears older than previously thought

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Polar bears diverged from their closest relatives about 600,000 years ago, according to a new genetic study published in the April 20 issue of the journal Science.

Baboons can learn to spot printed words

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Baboons can't read, but they can learn to tell the difference between real printed words (like KITE) and nonsense words (like ZEVS), scientists say.

Bone markings: Something for scientists to chew on

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Many fossil animal bones have been dinged up by natural processes, chewed by carnivorous animals or cut by human tools. But, when researchers dig up these bones millions of years later, it can be really difficult to tell these different types of marks apart.

With pesticides, bees can't find their way home

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Scientists have discovered some of the ways that a widely used insecticide harms bumblebees and honeybees.Bumblebees and honeybees are important pollinators of flowering plants, including many major fruit and vegetable crops. Each year, honeybee hives are trucked in on farms to help pollinate almond, apple and blueberry crops, among others.

The extinction of Australia's giant animals

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Human hunters were primarily responsible for the disappearance of Australia's giant vertebrates about 40,000 years ago. And, this extinction in turn caused major ecological changes. These are the conclusions of a new study in the March 23, 2012, issue of the journal Science.

Timing is key to fern's spore-throwing catapult

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:00:00 EDT

If you've ever been hiking, chances are you've seen fern plants in the woods. Nestled under fern leaves are tiny capsules chock-full of spores, tiny life vessels which, like seeds, are used for dispersal. Fern plants launch their spores with tiny catapults. Once in the air, wind and air currents can take the spores around the world.

What can honeybees tell us about human behavior?

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 00:00:00 EST

A new study of honeybees might help researchers understand why some people break free of their normal routines and seek out new experiences. Zhengzheng Liang and colleagues took a close look at the genes that are expressed in the brains of honeybees when the bees are out searching for new food sources.

Unlike chimps, young kids share knowledge

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 00:00:00 EST

Young children trying to solve a puzzle collaborated and shared information, while chimps and capuchin monkeys working on the same puzzle did not, according to a new study. These findings help explain why human culture gets more complex over generations, while that of other animals seems to stay roughly the same. Other animals are capable of learning from each other, so researchers would like to know what special human abilities allow us to have "cumulative culture."

Small horses liked it hot

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

The earliest horses were closer in size to a housecat than to the modern-day animals we're familiar with. Even at this small scale, the body size of these ancient horses evolved over time. New research shows that environmental temperatures drove these changes.

Good vibrations and the science of touch

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

Did you know that your fingertips and palms are especially good at feeling vibrations? You can check this out by putting your hands on an object that's giving a gentle hum, like a washing machine. Then try your forearm, and compare what you feel.

Shedding more light on major quakes

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

Using a technique known as Light Detection and Ranging, or LIDAR, before and after large earthquakes might help researchers pinpoint the places where those quakes break the ground wide open, according to a new study.

Off Western Australia, temperature rules the reefs

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

Australia's Great Barrier Reef has been in decline for years. Its crumbling conditions have caused many researchers to predict that higher levels of carbon dioxide in the world's oceans would only harm the coral further. But, new research is suggesting that a more acidic ocean -- due to increased carbon dioxide levels -- would not actually affect coral reefs as much as the sea's temperature.

Before they pounce, jumping spiders see green

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Jumping spiders have an unusual depth-perception system in their eyes, which helps them pounce on their prey, a Japanese research team has discovered.

Bird attraction based on illusion

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Bowerbirds, which live in Australia and New Guinea, have an elaborate mating ritual in which the males build large structures or "bowers" that females stop by to inspect. In a new study, scientists report that certain male bowerbirds attract mates by decorating their bowers in a way that creates an optical illusion.

A wind-riding bird gets a boost

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

The wandering albatross spends most of its life in flight, touching down on land to find food or to breed. These enormous seabirds, which have the largest wingspan of any living bird, conserve energy while aloft by riding the wind currents.

Origins of huge-headed 'supersoldier' ants

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Most ant species in the Pheidole genus have two social groups, or castes: workers and solders. Some also produce "supersoldiers." These large ants block their nest entrance with their extra-large heads and fight with invading ants during army ant raids.Although there are 1,100 different species of Pheidole ants worldwide, just a few of them produce supersoldiers.

One-third for the birds!

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST

As the numbers of big fish like tuna decline, humans are increasingly catching anchovies, sardines and other small "forage fish" instead. But if humans take too many, they could be cutting off the food supply for the animals that prey on forage fish.

Naked mole-rats feel no pain from acid

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST

The African naked mole-rat is, to our eyes, a pretty ugly creature. These small animals have no hair, wrinkly skin, and two long, yellow front teeth. They live in huge colonies inside deep underground tunnels, where there is little fresh air.

Honor among rats

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST

In an unusual example of empathy in animals other than primates, new research shows that rats will liberate their distressed cagemates from a trap, even when they get no additional reward. These animals seem to be showing empathy, which has often been considered unique to primates. An empathetic animal can "put itself in another's shoes" while maintaining its own perspective and emotional separation.

There's something about a face

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST

It's easy for people to tell one human face from another. We do it all the time without even thinking about it. But, it does take a special ability. Imagine trying to distinguish one goldfish face from another, or one squirrel face, or one wasp face. Within each of these species, all the faces look pretty much the same, right? In contrast, there's something about the human face that our brains recognize and remember in fine detail.

The world's first fish hooks?

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 00:00:00 EST

Researchers in East Timor, a country in Southeast Asia, have discovered the remains of large fish and fishing gear in a shelter that was used by early humans long ago. The remains include some fish hooks made out of bone and they appear to be 42,000 years old, which suggests that early humans were fishing in the open ocean much earlier than researchers had thought.

For decision-making, less information may be more

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 00:00:00 EST

A study on European starlings shows that when it comes to making decisions, it can help to have less information about the available choices -- but not always. Whether this "less-is-more" effect comes into play depends heavily on a species' ecological situation, the researchers report.

Stars may not be massive or metallic

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 00:00:00 EST

Before stars existed in space, the only elements present in the universe were hydrogen, helium and lithium. The birth of the first stars fundamentally transformed the early universe by emitting the first light and producing the first metals.Astronomers are still trying to unlock some of the secrets of early star formation. Two new studies in the journal Science show that these early stars weren't as big or metallic as previously thought.

Bird brains primed for cooperation

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Best friends sometimes finish each others' sentences, but the plain-tailed wrens of the Andes take things even further. Male and female wrens sing intimate duets in which they alternate syllables so quickly it sounds like a single bird is singing.

The big hearts of pythons

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Pythons can go a full year without food, and once they do score a meal, their heart nearly doubles in size. Since the snake's heart-ballooning after a meal is similar to the heart growth seen in people who exercise a lot, like Olympic athletes, studying snake hearts could help scientists figure out how to make human hearts healthier.

Evidence from a prehistoric mastodon hunt

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EDT

A controversial mastodon rib, found with the tip of a bone point lodged inside, is 13,800 years old, researchers report in a new study.

The world's first art studio?

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EDT

One of the earliest forms of paint is known as ochre -- and it really wasn't much more than colorful dirt. But, researchers believe that early humans may have used this colorful ochre to decorate their bodies or to make simple pieces of artwork.

If you love something, close it up? The weird world of caves

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EDT

How would you feel if someone told you they'd discovered someplace amazing, but if they let other people come visit, it would be ruined? Would you wonder, what's the point of protecting it, if nobody can enjoy it? Or, could you appreciate the place without having to actually see it in person?

Superfast muscles found in bats

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EDT

As bats swoop in on their prey, their sonar-based calls -- used to locate and track their meals -- increase to an incredible speed of about 160 calls per second. This kind of super-fast sonar call is known as the "terminal buzz," and it is often the last thing an insect ever hears.

Cattle versus wildlife: The battle for food has benefits

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EDT

In Africa, the widespread belief among small subsistence farmers and commercial ranchers alike is that nearby wildlife compete with livestock for food. The solution for most farmers is to kill off wildlife. These eradication efforts are troublesome to scientists and others concerned about biodiversity conservation.

Are you ready for this jelly?

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EDT

There are places in the ocean where giant jellyfish rule. They look like dinner plate-sized water balloons, hundreds and sometimes thousands of them floating together. When people catch too many regular fish like sardines or anchovies, they leave behind an empty ocean neighborhood that the jellyfish move into in a big way.

Virus gene leads moths to tree top doom

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EDT

A gene found in a virus turns gypsy moth caterpillars into tree-climbing zombies, reports a new study in the journal Science on Sept. 9, 2011. These moth caterpillars infected by a virus known as a baculovirus, are hypnotized into climbing to the top of trees to die, liquefy and rain viral particles on the foliage below to infect new hosts.

An evolutionary 'cradle' for ice-age giants

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EDT

The frosty highlands of the Tibetan Plateau may have been an evolutionary "cradle" for the woolly rhinos and other shaggy, cold-hardy creatures that roamed North America and Eurasia during the last ice age, a new study suggests.

Earth-bound meteorites come from stony asteroids

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Thanks to the Hayabusa space mission, researchers have gotten their first up-close look at dust from the surface of an asteroid. The unmanned Japanese spacecraft was launched in 2003 and sent to the stony, or S-type, asteroid known as 25143 Itokawa. In 2005, it landed on the surface of that asteroid and scooped up some loose dust. Hayabusa returned to Earth in 2010 and researchers from all over the world have been analyzing the asteroid dust ever since.

Good teachers need more than facts

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 00:00:00 EDT

What makes a good teacher? When adults answer this question, they often talk about how well the teacher understands his or her subject and can explain it to students. But, if you're a student reading this, you might be thinking, well, OK, but there's more to it than that...

By sticking with the group, wasps help themselves

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 00:00:00 EDT

What makes animals and insects like Polistes dominulus, commonly known as the European paper wasp, work together and help each other out? What benefits do these wasps receive from building their nests with strangers and serving the queen wasp? Until now, researchers have believed that the wasps are somehow benefiting their relatives by helping out around the nest.

Female frogs limit the length of male mating calls

Thu, 04 Aug 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Male tungara frogs are known for their long mating calls, which they use in hopes of attracting a female. But, a new study shows that a long-winded frog song doesn't necessarily guarantee the males a mate. Instead, it seems that the female tungara frog's perception -- or what she hears from her environment -- is just as important as what the males are singing to her.

Hear my nectar: How dish-shaped leaves attract pollinating bats

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Bats use high pitched sounds to locate food and navigate. Humans generally can't hear these high pitched sounds. When these sounds bounce off of objects, bats are capable of listening to the returning echoes, which gives bats a sense about the distance, movement and size of all objects in their path -- this is called "echolocation."

A gene to help the butterfly's disguise

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Heliconius butterflies include more than 40 different species of butterfly, and they are famous for their strikingly unique and colorful wing patterns. They have evolved their current wing colors by mimicking, or copying, the warning signals of other species of butterfly.

Being the boss baboon is stressful

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Boss baboons, the alpha males at the very top of wild baboon society, have higher stress hormone levels than second high ranking males, a new study in the journal Science reports. The findings hint that being the boss isn't always fun, and can sometimes be tiring and hard.

A new player in spinal cord injuries?

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Scars are made of connective tissue that replaces normal skin after a wound -- and even though most people don't like the way they look, they play a valuable role in the healing process.

Planes punch holes in the clouds, making it snow

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Many clouds in the sky contain water that is "supercooled," or able to stay in liquid form at temperatures below zero degrees Celsius. In fact, supercooled water can remain as a liquid all the way down to -40 degrees Celsius. However, when planes fly through clouds that hold supercooled water, they often punch holes right through them. And researchers now say that this phenomenon can lead to increased rain and snowfall on the ground below.

Static electricity revamped: A new take on bad hair days

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Everyone is familiar with pulling off a wool hat or rubbing a balloon on your head, only to find your hair sticking up like a porcupine. But the age-old explanation for this bad hair day phenomenon, caused by static electricity (which is generated by what scientists call "contact electrification"), turns out be inaccurate, a new study in the June 23 issue of Science Express shows.

Hartley 2, a tiny, hyperactive comet

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 00:00:00 EDT

A little comet called Hartley 2 has an unusually small, active center that is spewing out water vapor and ice chunks, researchers report.

A water source in the western US running dry?

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 00:00:00 EDT

The layers of snow, or the snowpack, covering the northern Rocky Mountains has been growing and shrinking, depending on the climate, for centuries. And when that snowpack melts, the runoff feeds into the Colorado, Columbia and Missouri Rivers -- the primary water sources for more than 70 million people.