Australian scientists have used high speed video to uncover the unique mechanism that allows a honey bee’s stinger to continue to pump venom into its target even after it has separated from the bee’s body.

Researchers from Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) and Semmelweis University have investigated what happens to horse chestnut leaves when they are attacked from within by the horse chestnut leaf miner. Their findings show that the functioning of the leaf changes while the damage is still barely visible to the naked eye. The results have been published in the journal Plant Stress.

To the point:

Late arrivals: Birdwatchers' observations show that New Zealand banded dotterels reach Australia after fall migration about four days later each year on average, cutting their estimated stay in their non-breeding residencies by about a quarter in just over a decade.

Climate change connections: The delay is linked to changes in Southern Ocean westerly winds, bringing New Zealand calmer, milder weather in winter.

Potential loss of behaviour: If this trend continues, scientists suspect the migration could all but disappear, leaving most birds in New Zealand all year.

The nightjar migrates thousands of kilometres, yet the same wings must also help it catch insects at low speeds. A new study from Lund University shows how these competing demands have shaped the bird’s flight performance.