Ant amputation: Nestmates remove infected limbs of wounded sisters
Scientists from the University of Würzburg in Germany discovered that Florida carpenter ants treat their nestmates’ wounds through either cleaning or amputation, enhancing survival rates significantly.
Electromagnetic dart launcher for better animal drug delivery
Researchers at Ohio State University in the United States have developed a safer, cost-effective dart launcher for injecting animals with drugs or tracking chips using electromagnetic coils and lidar technology.
17 million insects migrate through 30-metre Pyrenees pass, new study finds
University of Exeter researchers in the UK discovered that over 17 million insects – up to 3,000 per metre, per minute – migrate annually through a single mountain pass on the France-Spain border.
Elephants have names for each other like people do
Researchers from Colorado State University in the USA discovered that wild African elephants use name-like calls to communicate with each other, demonstrating a rare and complex form of animal communication.
The rise of horse power started around 4,200 years ago
Researchers at the University of Toulouse in France discovered that modern domestic horses originated around 4,200 years ago, significantly accelerating communication and trade across Eurasia.
The secret sex life of coral revealed
Researchers from the University of Tokyo in Japan have developed a new model for predicting coral spawning by analysing 15 years of data from the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium.
Chicken feathers to deliver chemotherapy drugs and repair enzymes
Researchers from Kings College London, UK, have developed a new method of drug delivery using proline, an amino acid found in chicken feathers and skin tissue.
Scientists generate the first complete chromosome sequences from non-human primates
A team of researchers from the National Human Genome Research Institute, USA, have generated the first complete chromosome sequences of five great ape species and the siamang gibbon.
Caterpillars can detect predators through static electricity
Scientists at the University of Bristol in the UK have discovered that caterpillars use static electricity to detect predators, raising concerns about human-made electrical noise disrupting these signals.
Foraging ants navigate more efficiently when given energy-drink-like doses of caffeine
Researchers at the University of Regensburg in Germany have discovered that caffeine improves Argentine ants’ ability to navigate and locate sugary rewards, potentially aiding invasive species control efforts.