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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.
Saltwater crocodiles are slowly returning to Bali and Java. Can we learn to live alongside them?
Shutterstock Brandon Michael Sideleau, Charles Darwin University On January 4 this year, a three-metre saltwater crocodile heaved itself…
The Ginkgo Tree Hides a Vast Evolutionary Story
Walk down some streets of New York, and you may spot a familiar sight: trees dressed in yellow…
The Dinosaurs Weren’t Wiped Out All at Once (In Fact, They Weren’t Wiped Out at All)
On that fateful day 65 million years ago, the dinosaurs saw a sight that left a mark in…
Horseshoe crab blood is vital for testing intravenous drugs, but new synthetic alternatives could mean pharma won’t bleed this unique species dry
Horseshoe crabs in spawning season at Reeds Beach, N.J., on June 13, 2023. AP Photo/Matt Rourke Kristoffer Whitney,…
Museum Specimens Unlock Secrets of the Fruit Fly’s Two-Century Evolutionary Journey
In a remarkable journey spanning two centuries, scientists from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Lund University have unlocked…
Shouldn’t We Need Anti-Tick Pills Too?
You may regularly administer some pills and supplements to your dog to prevent them from getting dreaded ticks.…
Organisms without brains can learn, too – so what does it mean to be a thinking creature?
Shutterstock Thomas White, University of Sydney The brain is an evolutionary marvel. By shifting the control of sensing…
Holes in baby dinosaur bones show how football-sized hatchlings grew to 3-tonne teens
Shutterstock Roger S. Seymour, University of Adelaide Despite their public image as torpid, lumbering creatures, many dinosaurs were…
How the age of mammals could end
When Pangea Ultima forms, conditions on Earth will be too inhospitable for most mammals to survive. Maurus Spescha/Shutterstock…
Why Do Animals Keep Evolving Like Moles?
Moles seem innocuous (and cute, but that’s beside the point), but their body plan keeps popping up in…