Insects such as ants and beetles use ingenious processes in their brains to work out how far they’ve travelled and in what direction - we’ve now discovered how they remember their way home.
As people age, the chemical signaling pathways in muscles become less potent, and it gets harder to build muscle and maintain strength. But the health benefits of strength training only increase with age.
Months not eating or moving don’t result in muscle wasting and loss of function for animals that hibernate. New research found gut microbes help their hosts hold onto and use nitrogen to build proteins.
Frowin Becker, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
There is plenty of work to do to ensure that other species, geographical areas and ecosystems across Africa are better understood through bioacoustics.
DNA and mRNA vaccines produce a different kind of immune response than traditional vaccines, allowing researchers to tackle some previously unsolvable problems in medicine.
E.O. Wilson was one of the world’s leading experts on ants, but his other passion was convincing humans to see themselves as part of the natural world.
Masks definitely catch some of the virus laden aerosols and droplets - and that will reduce transmission between people and the number of cases of COVID-19.
Alexandra Schnell, University of Cambridge; Andrew Crump, London School of Economics and Political Science et Jonathan Birch, London School of Economics and Political Science
Octopus, crabs, prawns demonstrate clear signs of emotion, such as pain and ‘anxiety-like’ behaviour.
We studied 8,000 primate teeth and finally confirmed that humans are not the only living primate to suffer from cavities. But there are interesting differences.
Two-thirds of autism research funding in New Zealand is directed at biology and genetics. The autism community says improving support services and quality of life should be the priorities.
Many living organisms generate and even detect static electricity in their natural environments. We must understand more to ensure we don’t disturb these delicate processes.
Hox genes make sure all your body parts grow in the right place. Understanding how they work can reveal the process of evolution and lead to potential treatments for congenital birth defects.
Want to observe native bees? Or seek out invasive species? There are many ways to get hands-on science learning. An expert on adult STEM education suggests four places to start.