Ultrasounds tracking fetal mouth movements pinpoint when vocalization motor skills develop Cradled inside the hushed world of the womb, fetuses might be preparing to come out howling. In the same way newborn humans can cry as soon as they’re born, common marmoset monkeys (Callithrix jacchus) produce contact calls toContinue Reading
Low doses make the animals sick and rapid tests can sometimes detect the infection Golden Syrian hamsters are highly susceptible to the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, a new study shows. While the species is popular among pet owners, the results, posted April 20 at bioRxiv, are not cause for panic,Continue Reading
Tracking the snakes’ ribs in X-ray videos revealed careful control over their bones’ movements The boa constrictor’s choke hold is an iconic animal attack. By coiling around its prey, a snake can squeeze the life out of a victim in mere minutes before gulping it down whole. But it’s beenContinue Reading
We all need our rest, but too much lounging around can be tough on our bodies. We humans can lose up to 14% of our muscle power when confined to bed for just 10 days. Hibernating animals are a different story, however. Ground squirrels don’t waste away during Jack Frost’sContinue Reading
The James Webb Space Telescope team has fully deployed the spacecraft’s 70-foot sunshield, a key milestone in preparing it for science operations. The sunshield – about the size of a tennis court at full size – was folded to fit inside the payload area of an Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket’sContinue Reading
Social bonds extend beyond the roost and may save time and energy when hunting Vampire bats may be bloodthirsty, but that doesn’t mean they can’t share a drink with friends. Fights can erupt among bats over gushing wounds bit into unsuspecting animals. But bats that have bonded while roosting oftenContinue Reading
Humanity is heading back to the Moon, and this time, we’re planning to stay. But for long-term space missions, astronauts would need infrastructure to live and work, to move around, to communicate with Earth, and to produce oxygen and water vital for survival. Taking all this infrastructure from Earth wouldContinue Reading
The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, TESS, was launched in 2018 with the goal of discovering small planets around the Sun’s nearest neighbor stars. TESS has so far discovered 172 confirmed exoplanets and compiled a list of 4703 candidate exoplanets. Its sensitive camera takes images that span a huge field ofContinue Reading
The magnetic ropes may surround our planet. Our planet, along with the rest of the solar system and some nearby stars, may be trapped inside a giant magnetic tunnel — and astronomers don’t know why. A tube of vast magnetized tendrils, 1,000 light-years long and invisible to the naked eye,Continue Reading
A new fossil skeleton of an extinct species of bird from northeastern China that lived alongside dinosaurs 120 million years ago unexpectedly preserves a bony tongue that is nearly as long as its head. The skull is very well preserved, showing that it had a relatively short snout and smallContinue Reading
