The rainforests of northern Australia are home to extraordinary ant colonies. Instead of dwelling in underground burrows, these ants inhabit canopies of trees, dozens of meters above the ground, inside hollow spheres they ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 30, 2026
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20
A new study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution connects plant and insect physiology, chemical ecology, molecular function, and evolutionary analysis to offer a new perspective on plant–insect coevolution. The research ...
Evolution
Mar 30, 2026
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41
From color-changing skin to jet-propelled motion, squid and cuttlefish have long fascinated scientists. To understand the origins of their unique characteristics, many attempts have been made to define their evolutionary ...
Evolution
Mar 30, 2026
0
53
Museum collections have underpinned scientific research for centuries. But physical specimens in boxes and drawers don't easily lend themselves to the research techniques of the new millennium. "How can we apply these techniques ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 27, 2026
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26
It's fairly common for members of the public to ask bug experts if ticks that hitchhike into a house on people or dogs can actually survive indoors for any length of time. A new study provides the first scientific evidence ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 27, 2026
0
53
An international research team led by the University of Vienna has produced, for the first time, high-resolution global maps of invasion risk for thousands of alien plant species under current conditions and future climate ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 27, 2026
0
20
In 2014, Felicity Newell joined the Florida Museum of Natural History as a doctoral student, then promptly left the country in search of a tropical spring. It's a concept she started thinking about while doing biological ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 27, 2026
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312
The Galapagos Islands are famous for the discoveries that shaped Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. Now an SFSU graduate has added one more: Ezra Mendales (M.S., '23) describes a new species as part of his master's thesis. ...
Evolution
Mar 26, 2026
0
113
Squirrels are usually willing to climb higher to reach their favorite foods, shows new research appearing in Animal Behaviour. Extensive lab studies have found that animals "devalue" rewards that cost extra time and effort—for ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 26, 2026
0
18
The Hawaiian bobtail squid, a small, multi-colored native of coastal waters in Hawai'i, uses bioluminescence to camouflage itself and evade predators. However, the costume change is only possible through an exclusive symbiotic ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 26, 2026
0
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