No beak? No problem. Despite his disability, Bruce the parrot beats all of his rivals in combat. He's done it by inventing a fighting style reminiscent of jousting or fencing. “He doesn’t have to open his bill. He’s just got this dagger.” Really fun story by @phiejacobs.bsky.social for @science.org
Based on the rates of flashes seen by Juno, storms on this tempestuous world can unleash the force of multiple nuclear weapons every minute. Cool story by @squigglyvolcano.bsky.social for @science.org
In the summer of 2004, Douglas Baird was leading excavations at a remote hunter-gatherer site called Pınarbaşı in central Turkey when his team found something unusual... @science.org
Puppies found at an ancient hunter gatherer site are now the world's oldest confirmed dogs. Their nearly 16,000-year-old bones push the definitive origin of dogs back almost 5000 years. My latest for @science.org!
What does the new Project Hail Movie get right--and wrong? @science.org chatted with astronomer Wendy Freedman about whether non-water-based life could really exist, and the scenes that made her nerd out.
On using cats as spies, a CIA document states: "It is indeed possible…,” but the rest of the sentence is redacted. I don't think it takes a super-sleuth to figure out that the rest probably reads, "assuming you want to take your life into your own hands." 😹 Fun story by Tom Hawking at @popsci.com
In the dense jungles of Panama’s Barro Colorado Island, a rare, hot pink cricket will emerge. Scientists have long thought it was an unfortunate mutant, but it may not be a mutant after all. Fun story by @tmitchellbrown.bsky.social for @science.org
In The Martian, fictional astronaut Mark Watney survives the wasteland of Mars by growing potatoes in lunar soil—with a bit of help from human poop. The idea may not be so far-fetched. @science.org
As the debate raged over whether the COVID-19 pandemic was sparked by a food market in Wuhan or a leak from a nearby lab, an anonymous post on the Chinese social medium WeChat floated a completely different, bizarre theory... Excellent story by @cohenjon.bsky.social for @science.org
“I expect at some point” that the ceremony will make its way back across the pond, says Ig Nobel founder Marc Abrahams. But “the way things are right now, I doubt that the ceremony will be back in the U.S. in any of the next few years.” Nice coverage by @hannah-richter.bsky.social for @science.org
To simulate an asteroid impact in the lab, researchers put bacterial cells on a membrane and shot them with a gas-fired projectile that struck the microbes at up to 480 kilometers per hour. The bacteria largely shrugged off the cataclysm. Cool story by @jakebuehler.bsky.social at @science.org
The find promises new insights into one of the most famous ideological transitions in the history of science: the moment when Earth was thrust from the center of our universe. Cool story by @joshuasokol.bsky.social for @science.org
For half a century, researchers suspected treetops on Earth might glow because of thunderstorms. But the phenomenon, an electric outburst called a corona, has only ever been spotted in the lab--until now. Cool story from @hannah-richter.bsky.social for @science.org
Here me talk about the challenges of breeding dogs for disabilities—and what science can do to help 🐕
More than half of dogs trained to help people with blindness, PTSD, autism, and other conditions fail to graduate. New scientific approaches could help, getting more--and better--working dogs into the hands of people who need them most. My new feature for @science.org!
Biomedical researchers are shocked by a seemingly sudden decision to consider converting one of the largest primate research centers in the U.S. into a monkey sanctuary. Costs could exceed $250 million, and it's unclear who would pay for it--and if its even possible. My latest for @science.org
BREAKING: One of the largest monkey research centers in the U.S. could become a sanctuary. University voted today to enter into negotiations with NIH that could put an end to all studies at the Oregon Primate Research Center. My latest for @science.org
It was the middle of the night in 2017 when biologist Dikansh Parmar received an unexpected phone call from an anxious railway employee in India’s Gujarat state... Really fun story from @erikstokstad.bsky.social for @science.org!
About a decade ago, a baker in a small mountainous village in southern Austria noticed his cow doing something unusual... My latest for @science.org about the first documented case of tool use in cattle!
You don't need a brain to appreciate a good night of sleep!
New research revealed that jellyfish and sea anemones sleep for around 8 hours a day—the same amount as humans—and even get groggy! 🪼
Latest for @science.org with a great edit from @david-grimm.bsky.social
www.science.org/content/arti...
Leonardo da Vinci's burial site was disturbed early in the 19th century, and he had no direct descendants. Finding his DNA is “about as hard a target there is,” experts say. Now scientists may have made a breakthrough... Cool story by @richardastone.bsky.social for @science.org
Always appreciate your championing of Cloud Atlas. I think it’s the most underrated film of the past 20 years.
RFK Jr. vows an end to animal testing on Lara Trump's Fox News program. "We’re reeducating researchers so that they know that there are these other forms of research that are much more predictive." The remarks are sending shock waves through the biomedical community. My latest for @science.org
In his strongest condemnation yet of animal research, RFK Jr. said HHS is “deeply committed to ending animal experimentation.” He also called for an end monkey to imports and claimed national primate centers are driven by profit. My latest for @science.org
From trees that love getting struck by lightning to one of the most insane acrobatic feats in nature, here are our favorite science news stories of the year! @science.org
My favorite podcast of the year, and not just because I'm on it 😊. Listen to a rundown of our favorite science news stories of the year. @science.org
The best show you've never heard of. Buried by AMC+, resurrected by Netflix. Two seasons that tell a complete story--no cliffhangers, no loose threads. And you won't believe where it ultimately goes. h/t @devindra.bsky.social
This hairdo doesn't just help male pheasants woo females--it also obscures their vision, making them more vulnerable to predators. Fun story at @science.org
EXCLUSIVE: CDC to end all monkey studies. Decision handed down by recent college grad and former DOGE employee who is now deputy chief of staff at the agency. Animals were being used in studies of HIV prevention. Some may be euthanized. My latest for @science.org
There is an excellent video of the wolf using the trap too, which is somehow both soothing and delightful