The richly decorated highland sunbird and other related species in East Africa have been singing the same songs for hundreds of thousands of years… more
This pattern of concentric rings was “painted” by a bacterial biofilm as it developed. Behind the division into different sections is a kind of molecular clock that was previously unknown in bacteria… more
Despite its name, the imposing Flame Nebula in the left part of the image is not on fire: This section of the Orion molecular cloud complex was recorded in the radio wave range, with the colors indicating the speed of the gases… more
This oak savannah is burned in a controlled manner. Surprisingly, this means that more carbon is stored in the soil and thus contributes to climate protection… more
This New Caledonian crow is clutching a foraging tool in its beak. The more helpful it is, the better the bird takes care of it… more
What determines the sex of a queen ant’s offspring? In the case of the wood ant species shown here, scientists have clarified at least part of this question through genetic analysis… more
This detailed 3D rendering of a developing soybean flower was created using a new X-ray microscopy method. It enables sharp images from the cell to the whole plant… more
Hiding behind these two bright points of light are two supermassive black holes very close together at the heart of a distant galaxy. It is the closest and closest pair of such black holes to date… more
The photo shows solidified lava found in Costa Rica. What is amazing is that it carries the geochemical fingerprint of the Earth’s mantle under the Galápagos Islands some 1400 kilometers away… more
This almost mischievously looking Axolotl is an important helper in medicine. Because its cells and tissues provided crucial clues as to why this salamander can replace entire limbs, but we can’t… anymore
This visualization shows the interaction of infrared light with bilayer graphene. The interaction is created by special electron flows…. more
At first glance you can only see the eye of a seagull surrounded by a gray pen drawing in this photo. But on closer inspection, the gray spots turn out to be lice – they are parasites carried by the seagull… more
As shown here, some dogs tilt their heads when they hear a command or see something interesting. This behavior seems to occur especially in particularly gifted dogs… more