A beautiful metaphor for life
Tag: life
Slime-fighting slug can superglue enemy frogs to trees for days
After finding a tree frog stuck fast to a branch, biologists in Australia have discovered that a species of slug defends itself with extremely sticky mucus
Wild black leopard photographed in Africa for first time in 100 years
Black leopards are very hard to spot in the wild. A photograph by Will Burrard-Lucas may be the first of the cat in Africa for 100 years
Cassowaries’ strange headgear helps them stay cool in the heat
The unusual fin-shaped lumps on cassowaries’ heads help them shed heat in hot weather, suggesting a similar purpose for crests on dinosaurs
Chimp sign language and human communication follow the same rules
Gestures used by chimpanzees to communicate with each other follow some of the same rules intrinsic to human language, according to a study of chimps in Uganda
Controversial fossils suggest life began to move 2.1 billion years ago
Most biologists think lifeforms evolved the ability to move around about 600 million years ago – tiny burrows in 2.1-billion-year-old rocks challenge the idea
Tyrannosaurus rex might have accidentally helped fruit grow
The king of the dinosaurs was a famed carnivore, but its diet of plant-eaters may have helped T. rex disperse fruit seeds over a wide area
Crows can solve a tricky puzzle box by planning ahead and using tools
New Caledonian crows are some of the cleverest birds — they can plan several steps ahead while using tools to get food out of a series of puzzle boxes
Bees can pass a simple maths test but they might just be cheating
A test appears to show that honeybees can do arithmetic, but there may be a simpler explanation for their success
Orchids at Kew Gardens review – celebrating the colour of Colombia
As home to an amazing 4200 orchid species, Colombia is the perfect choice to fuel an orchid festival at Kew Gardens in London – and turn it into a carnival