Earth & Climate

World’s smallest land snail discovered

The smallest known land snail: Angustopila psammion. ©Senckenberg Their shell is less than half a millimeter in size and the entire animal is smaller...

There are still at least 9,200 tree species on earth to discover

The actual number of tree species on our planet is estimated to be 14 percent higher than previously thought. You would think that by...

Photo worth seeing: Robotic surgery without assistance

(Image: Johns Hopkins University) This surgical robot has performed a minimally invasive procedure without human assistance for the first time. He was able to...

The Earth turns out to be home to more ice than thought

Glaciers turn out to be quite 'spongy'. And that means that the famous Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets have higher densities. Glacier ice...

Fish turn out to be huge ‘talkers’

You thought some people were talking to you? Fish can enjoy it too. There is quite a bit of chatter under the waves....

Frog regenerates completely new leg thanks to promising cocktail of medicines

Frogs – unlike for example salamanders – are normally incapable of regenerating limbs. And that makes this a cautious breakthrough. Some animals possess...

Photo worth seeing: A mandala of bacteria

This pattern of concentric rings was 'painted' by a biofilm of bacteria as it developed. Behind the division into different sections is a...

Chimpanzees must watch the use of other people’s tools

It means that chimpanzees also depend on complex social learning behaviour. And that while this was previously regarded by many as something...

Why permanently protected marine areas are not sufficient to protect endangered species

Researchers advocate shifting protected areas that move with species. Unfortunately, it is still too common for endangered species – such as sea turtles, marine...

Vesuvius still has a break

Vesuvius towers over Naples. (Image: Aleh Varanishcha/ iStock) The volcano Vesuvius near Naples has a long tradition of eruptions - and one of the...

This unique jump may be insect larvae’s best kept secret

Scientists discover a uniquely jumping larva - only to encounter tentative evidence that the strange jump may affect a wide variety of species. We...

Photo worth seeing: more

The richly decorated highland sunbird and other related species in East Africa have been singing the same songs for hundreds of thousands of years......

Recent Articles