Dogs have been man’s best friend for centuries. In recent decades, those furry friends have transitioned into “fur babies,” with many people opting for dog ownership over traditional parenthood. But what does choosing dogs over children say about our society and the way we think about family?In a study published in European Psychologist, a research team from Eötvös Loránd University suggests that declining global birth rates and increasing dog ownership are related. Although dogs cannot ...read more

A human can’t shrink away from the threats of climate change. A clownfish, however, can. In a new paper published today in Science Advances, a team of researchers revealed that these tiny “Finding Nemo” fish can actually shrink to survive heat stress, allowing them to overcome the threat of heatwaves.“We were so surprised to see shrinking in these fish,” said Melissa Versteeg, a study author and a Ph.D. student at Newcastle University in the U.K., according to a press release. “In th ...read more

In May 2023, Chinese astronauts swabbed several surfaces of their space station Tiangong (Mandarin for "Heavenly Place"), then sent the samples back to Earth for analysis. The results are now in: the sample contained one bacterium never before seen, according to a report in the International Journal of Systemic and Evolutionary Microbiology.New Bacteria in Space Station The samples were taken, according to the paper, to help keep astronauts healthy in subsequent missions. “Understanding the ch ...read more

It’s no secret that microplastics have already infiltrated our lives, and nowhere is this more present than in our own homes. Microplastics — and even tinier nanoplastics — stem from daily tasks like cooking and cleaning. Now, research is pointing to the previously unexplored impact of dishwashing on microplastic pollution.A new study published in American Chemical Society ES&T Water has revealed that washing plastic containers and utensils in a dishwasher releases plastic particles, w ...read more

In the first-ever-observed game of “cosmic joust,” one galaxy pierced another with a lance-like ray of radiation, astronomers reported in the journal Nature. The resulting puncture impaired the wounded galaxy’s subsequent star-making abilities.The dueling galaxies dealt more than just a single blow. They repeatedly charged each other at over 500 miles per second, colliding, then retreating, before positioning themselves for another attack.“We hence call this system the ‘cosmic joust,� ...read more

The next time you chomp on a popsicle, then flinch from a lightning bolt of pain, you can now have something legitimate to blame: a 465-million-year old fish.Researchers have found that dentine — a substance in the inner layer of teeth that sends sensory information to nerves inside the pulp — served a similar sensation-gathering purpose on the armed exoskeletons of ancient fish. The main difference is, in human teeth, it acts as an internal detector, while in ancient fish armor, it serves a ...read more

Glitter gets everywhere: It clings to carpet fibers, hides in your hairline, and shows up weeks later in unexpected places. But what if this famously clingy, sparkly nuisance could actually help save a species?That’s the idea behind a new conservation initiative in Wales. The Initiative for Nature Conservation Cymru (INCC) is feeding edible cake glitter to water voles to help track their movements (literally) and better understand how to protect them. And surprisingly, it’s already showing p ...read more

In today’s ever more connected world, it’s fair to say that some of us receive nearly as much screen time as we do actual sunlight — if not more, depending on your job and the time of year.A growing body of research shows that the blue light that these screens emit might have effects on human health, whether it’s our vision, skin, or our sleep.“Blue light has an effect on skin health and even the retina in the eyes,” says Kseniya Kobets, an assistant professor of medicine at Albert E ...read more

Some humpback whales are born in warmer waters. Others are born on the way. That’s what a study in Frontiers in Marine Science seems to suggest, anyway, after showing that hundreds of East Australian humpback whales are actually born mid-migration, while their mothers are still traveling to their established calving and breeding grounds.“Hundreds of humpback calves were born well outside the established breeding grounds,” said Tracey Rogers, the senior study author and a biology professor ...read more

Sharks don’t have bones. Instead, their skeletons are made from mineralized cartilage that helps them constantly move through water. To understand the internal “sharkitecture” that helps keep these animals strong and graceful, researchers are putting sharks under the microscope. A new study, published in ACS Nano, found some surprising results. After analyzing shark cartilage, there appear to be two different regions within it. And each appears to have vastly different structures. These s ...read more