A finger-sized marine predator with three eyes and an unusual respiratory system is challenging what scientists thought they knew about the early evolution of arthropods, the group that includes modern insects, crustaceans, and spiders. Canadian researchers have discovered Mosura fentoni, a 506-million-year-old creature from the famous Burgess Shale fossil beds, with an unprecedented body arrangement … Read more
When scientists set out to see if fish could evolve to survive in warmer waters, they never expected to discover a surprising superpower. Not only did these fish adapt to heat—they became more resistant to cold temperatures too, potentially giving them an unexpected edge in our rapidly changing climate. The study, published Wednesday in Nature … Read more
Cutting-edge imaging technology has uncovered that all living organisms emit an extremely faint light invisible to the naked eye, with patterns that significantly differ between life and death. These ultraweak photon emissions (UPE) offer researchers a promising tool for non-invasive monitoring of biological processes and stress responses in both animals and plants. What Are Ultraweak … Read more
Deep in the misty mountain forests between Vietnam and Laos lives a creature so rare and elusive that scientists nicknamed it the “Asian unicorn.” Its formal name is the saola (pronounced “sow-la”), and despite only being discovered in 1992, it might already be extinct. Now, groundbreaking genetic research offers a glimmer of hope for saving … Read more
In a discovery that could transform our understanding of both evolution and genetic disease, researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine and Vanderbilt University have identified how horses pull off a remarkable genetic trick previously thought exclusive to viruses – they run right through a “stop sign” in their DNA. This evolutionary adaptation, which occurred millions of … Read more
Imagine this: you’re on a beach vacation in the Dominican Republic about 5 million years ago. As you wander inland, you suddenly freeze. Something is watching you. Something big. It’s not hiding in the water like modern crocodiles. It’s standing tall on four powerful legs, built for chasing prey on land. With razor-sharp serrated teeth … Read more
For desert woodrats, survival against rattlesnake bites might boil down to something as simple as the weather forecast, according to research published Tuesday in Biology Letters. Scientists have discovered that these remarkable rodents, known for their impressive resistance to toxins, lose much of their natural immunity to snake venom when temperatures drop – a finding … Read more