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A monogenean flatworm
Ecologists Use Museum Specimens to Dig into the Parasitic Past
New techniques to quantify what lived in and on preserved animals throw light on how parasite abundance has changed over time.
Ecologists Use Museum Specimens to Dig into the Parasitic Past
Ecologists Use Museum Specimens to Dig into the Parasitic Past

New techniques to quantify what lived in and on preserved animals throw light on how parasite abundance has changed over time.

New techniques to quantify what lived in and on preserved animals throw light on how parasite abundance has changed over time.

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Thomas Clements dissects fish
Researchers Watch Fish Rot, for Science
Mary Bates | Mar 1, 2023 | 4 min read
Recording the pH within decaying organs for the first time, researchers come closer to understanding why some soft tissues are more likely to be preserved as fossils than others.
Photo of floppy disks and motherboards
Inside the Project Trying to Save Datasets from Extinction
Ian Rose | Dec 1, 2022 | 5 min read
Researchers race to find ecological data kept on outdated media or in dusty backroom boxes—before they’re lost forever.
Discover the smart solutions that empower scientists to take their research to the next level.
Into the Future: Connecting Researchers, Instruments, and Data
MilliporeSigma | 1 min read
Discover the smart solutions that empower scientists to take their research to the next level.
Three grasshoppers
How a Grasshopper Gave Up Sex, Took Up Cloning
Dan Robitzski | Nov 1, 2022 | 5 min read
Meet the grasshopper that has reproduced asexually for a quarter of a million years—without acquiring undue numbers of harmful mutations.
Fernanda, a Fernandina giant tortoise (<em>Chelonoidis phantasticus</em>), was identified in 2019, decades after her species supposedly went extinct.
When an Extinct Species Is Found Alive, What Happens Next?
Andy Carstens | Nov 1, 2022 | 6 min read
Finding a creature in the wild that had been considered long gone brings hope—and quite a bit of uncertainty.
SciNote
No More Messy Notes: Modernizing the Lab Notebook
The Scientist’s Creative Services Team and SciNote | 2 min read
An electronic laboratory notebook (ELN) keeps data organized and secure, boosting productivity and reproducibility.
Kentish plover standing by nest with eggs
Avian Deception More Widespread Than Previously Thought
Andy Carstens | Oct 3, 2022 | 5 min read
The broken-wing display, in which birds fake being wounded to protect their nests from predators, is found across the avian phylogenetic tree, a study finds.
Blue Whales - Sri Lanka April 2012
The Evolutionary Shaping of Modern Whales
Connor Lynch | Oct 3, 2022 | 4 min read
A survey of more than 200 whale skulls has unveiled bursts of evolution over the past 50 million years.
Oysters&rsquo; shells were made into concrete and other materials used in construction during the Industrial Revolution.
Scientists Use Sound to Attract Baby Oysters Back to the Reef
Ian Rose | Aug 15, 2022 | 5 min read
Meet the team trying to restore mollusk populations with the help of underwater speakers.
Ferns bounced back much faster than other plants after the meteor impact that wiped out the dinosaurs.
Why Did Ferns Persist When All Other Plants Perished?
Amanda Heidt | Aug 15, 2022 | 6 min read
A strange layer in the fossil record contains evidence that fern populations exploded following the mass extinction that ended the Cretaceous period. Scientists want to know why.
Magical fairytale forest. Coniferous forest covered of green moss. Mystic atmosphere.
The Unusual Functions of Geosmin
Connor Lynch | Aug 1, 2022 | 5 min read
The compounds responsible for the earthy smell of recent rain are produced by a wide variety of bacteria and fungi. Recent research sheds light on why microbes bother.
Vicu&ntilde;as <em>(Lama vicugna)</em> run across the plains in San Guillermo National Park, Argentina.
How Mange Remade an Ecosystem
Shawna Williams | Jul 5, 2022 | 5 min read
A study traces the effects of a mite outbreak from the earth to the heavens.
Pufferfish underwater in ocean
Pufferfish Don’t Need Functional Stomach, Inflate Instead
Natalia Mesa, PhD | Jul 5, 2022 | 5 min read
The fish use their stomach to swell up to three times their size. Is this why they can’t use the organ to digest proteins?
Cougar leaving the mine entrance
A World of Wildlife in Abandoned Mines
Ian Rose | Jun 1, 2022 | 7 min read
Scientists reveal how mountain lions, elk, and other animals are making use of these underground areas in Colorado.
Archerfish in the deep transparent water.
Archerfish Defy Notion that Complex Vision Requires a Cortex
Amanda Heidt | Jun 1, 2022 | 5 min read
The fish species is separated from mammals by hundreds of millions of years of evolution, yet its seemingly primitive brain can handle many of the same elaborate visual tasks.
Photo of fish in the Haemulidae family
Fish Are Chattier Than Previously Thought
Connor Lynch | May 2, 2022 | 5 min read
Once thought to be silent, fish turn out to produce a range of vocalizations—so polluting the oceans with noise could pose a danger to them.
Image of sperm hooks (<em>Peromyscus maniculatus</em>)
The Mystery of the Mouse Sperm Hook
Natalia Mesa, PhD | May 2, 2022 | 5 min read
Nearly all mouse sperm have hooks on their heads. But new research suggests the structures slow them down—so what exactly is their purpose?
Close up photo of a wing
Unearthing the Evolutionary Origins of Insect Wings
Jef Akst | Apr 4, 2022 | 6 min read
A handful of new studies moves the needle toward a consensus on the long-disputed question of whether insect wings evolved from legs or from the body wall, but the devil is in the details.
Photo of a Dwarf mongoose
Dwarf Mongooses Shun Bullies to Manage Conflict: Study
Mary Bates | Apr 4, 2022 | 5 min read
These social animals keep tabs on aggressive members of the group and groom them less after fights to punish them.
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