This robot automatically tucks its limbs to squeeze through spaces
Inspired by how ants move through narrow spaces by shortening their legs, scientists have built a robot that draws in its limbs to navigate...
Greta Thunberg’s new book urges the world to take climate action now
The Climate BookGreta ThunbergPenguin Press, $30 The best shot we have at minimizing the future impacts of climate change is to limit global warming...
Glassy eyes may help young crustaceans hide from predators in plain sight
Fledgling crustaceans have eyes like the sea, a peculiarity that could help them hide from predators. Young shrimp, crab or lobster larvae already rock...
A chemical imbalance doesn’t explain depression. So what does?
You’d be forgiven for thinking that depression has a simple explanation. The same mantra — that the mood disorder comes from a chemical imbalance...
Cockatoos can tell when they need more than one tool to swipe a snack
Forget screwdrivers or drills. A stick and a straw make for a great cockatoo tool kit. Some Goffin’s cockatoos (Cacatua goffiniana) know whether they...
This dinosaur might have used its feet to snag prey in midair like modern hawks
Modern birds evolved from dinosaurs, but it’s not clear how well birds’ ancient dino ancestors could fly (SN: 10/28/16). Now, a look at the...
In the wake of history’s deadliest mass extinction, ocean life may have flourished
Following the most severe known mass extinction in Earth’s history, vibrant marine ecosystems may have recovered within just a million years, researchers report in...
Hominids used stone tool kits to butcher animals earlier than once thought
Nearly 3 million years ago, hominids employed stone tool kits to butcher hippos and pound plants along what’s now the shores of Kenya’s Lake...
Prairie voles can find partners just fine without the ‘love hormone’ oxytocin
Prairie voles have long been heralded as models of monogamy. Now, a study suggests that the “love hormone” once thought essential for their bonding...
Mysterious marks on Ice Age cave art may have been a form of record keeping
As far back as roughly 25,000 years ago, Ice Age hunter-gatherers may have jotted down markings to communicate information about the behavior of their...
Newborn screening for cancer risk could save lives. Should it be done? 
World marks second warmest July on record 
Ebola deaths top 2,000 as scientists race to develop vaccine 
South Sudan: UN mission decries deadly attacks, works to calm tensions after ‘nothing but devastation’