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Nature
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As grandiose as we might think our civilizations have become, we are but the latest entry in the long chronicle detailing life on Earth. We humans share this planet with fellow organisms whose vast numbers completely tower over our own. We borrowed this planet from its previous inhabitants from eons ago and whose lives were written on the soil-turned-rock on which they were laid to rest. Modern Sciences urges its readers to contemplate our planetary co-inhabitants, both past and present.
We tracked 13,000 giants of the ocean over 30 years, to uncover their hidden highways
Alexandra Vautin, Shutterstock Ana M. M. Sequeira, Australian National University Big animals of the ocean go about their…
Baboon travel lines shaped by friendship, not fear, study finds
New research reveals that baboons travel in orderly lines not for strategic protection but simply to stay close to their friends.
The Dinosaur Dilemma That Darwin Couldn’t Solve
An ingenious experiment with chickens reveals the surprising evolutionary advantage of a "half wing" in non-flying dinosaurs, finally solving a puzzle that has stumped scientists since Darwin's time.
The Dinosaurs Too Big To Be Dinosaurs
These sauropods were barely possible, seemingly existing only despite physics and persisting only thanks to some extreme evolutionary adaptations.
Faces you hear? Dolphin ‘signature whistles’ may transmit more than just identity information
Ekaterina Ovsyanikova Ekaterina Ovsyanikova, The University of Queensland Like us humans, many animals rely on social interactions to…
The Hidden Rule That Shapes All Life on Earth
Life uses only one “hand” of its molecular building blocks—a mysterious asymmetry called homochirality that may hold clues to life’s origins and even the possibility of mirror life beyond Earth.
Toxic alligators serve as a warning for southeastern US ecosystems
New research reveals that the place an alligator lives determines its toxic mercury load, with some populations carrying levels eight times higher than others.
Windows are the No. 1 human threat to birds – an ecologist shares some simple steps to reduce collisions
Birds are drawn to the mirror effect of windows. That can turn deadly when they think they see…
The Viewpoint: A century after its discovery, scientists capture first confirmed footage of a colossal squid in the deep
For the first time, scientists have captured confirmed footage of a colossal squid in its natural deep-sea habitat, a century after its discovery. This rare sighting of the planet's heaviest invertebrate, once only known from whale stomachs, provides an unprecedented glimpse into the life of this elusive deep-sea giant.
A bottlenose dolphin? Or Tursiops truncatus? Why biologists give organisms those strange, unpronounceable names
The system of scientific naming began in the 1700s. Westend61 via Getty Images Nicholas Green, Kennesaw State University…