EurekAlert! In the Spotlight

This August, we're exploring the science behind the animals that share our planet. From the behaviors and adaptations that help species thrive to the conservation efforts protecting wildlife around the world, animal awareness days like World Lion Day, World Elephant Day, International Cat Day, and International Wolf Day are an opportunity to celebrate biodiversity and discover the research helping us better understand and protect the species that call our planet home.

New beetle genus named after One Piece's Monkey D. Luffy, encompassing two new species

Pensoft Publishers
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A research team from the Natural History Museum of Denmark has published a compelling new study in insect taxonomy in the open-access journal ZooKeys, officially establishing a new genus of rove beetle: Luffy gen. nov. The inspiration for the name comes directly from Monkey D. Luffy, the iconic protagonist of the globally popular manga and anime One Piece.

Journal: ZooKeys

7-Jul-2026

Bumblebees exposed to up to seven times as much toxic metal as honeybees

University of Cambridge
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Bumblebees collect up to seven times the amount of toxic heavy metals as honeybees even when foraging in the same environment, new research from the University of Cambridge has discovered. Exposure to these metals can affect everything from their ability to forage for food to their ability to reproduce.

Journal: Ecological Entomology
Funder: Royal Society

6-Jul-2026

Low calf numbers raise questions about pressures on Hawaii Island spinner dolphins

University of Hawaii at Manoa
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Previous research has shown that this population of dolphins experiences the highest levels of disturbance exposure recorded for dolphins worldwide.

6-Jul-2026

Darwin's Ark invites research collaboration on the world's largest community science initiative for cats and dogs

Darwin's Ark
Business Announcement

Community science nonprofit Darwin's Ark is inviting researchers to access its pet genetics data, research tools and community science resources to advance pet and human health. Built through the participation of more than 25,000 cats, 50,000 dogs, 6,000 DNA sequences and more than 6 million survey responses, Darwin's Ark has created one of the world's largest community-powered pet research initiatives and is expanding opportunities for scientific collaboration.

6-Jul-2026

Did elephant energetics decide Hannibal’s Alpine crossing route?

University of Oxford
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new analysis sheds light on the most likely route for the Carthaginian general’s famous crossing of the Alps. The study, led by the University of Oxford and iDiv/Friedrich Schiller University Jena, reveal that the Col de la Traversette would have been the least energy-intensive route. The findings have been published today (July 6, 2026) in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

6-Jul-2026

Study reveals the ‘inner life’ of bees

Macquarie University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research finds bumblebees show ‘liking’ and ‘disliking’ responses to taste, pointing to emotion-like processes underlying behaviour

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Funder: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Templeton World Charity Foundation, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Guangzhou Science and Technology Innovation Center

6-Jul-2026

How camera-equipped homing pigeons could improve robotic vision in flight

University of British Columbia
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Contrary to common assumptions, pigeons do not lock their eyes in place during flight. Instead, they make slow, subtle eye movements that may help them gather more information about their surroundings.

That is the key finding of a new study led by Dr. Anthony Lapsansky, who conducted the research as a postdoctoral fellow at UBC, and Dr. Doug Altshuler, professor in the department of zoology, who discuss what the findings reveal about animal vision and autonomous flight.

Journal: Current Biology

Welcome to In the Spotlight, where each month we shine a light on something exciting, timely, or simply fascinating from the world of science.

Latest News Releases

New beetle genus named after One Piece's Monkey D. Luffy, encompassing two new species

Bumblebees exposed to up to seven times as much toxic metal as honeybees

Low calf numbers raise questions about pressures on Hawaii Island spinner dolphins

Darwin's Ark invites research collaboration on the world's largest community science initiative for cats and dogs

Did elephant energetics decide Hannibal’s Alpine crossing route?

Study reveals the ‘inner life’ of bees

How camera-equipped homing pigeons could improve robotic vision in flight

Survival comes at a price: Mizzou study links salt adaptation to increased risk of disease