All Stories by Freda Kreier
- Brain
Just how brainy was a T. rex?
A debate rages over how to count brain cells in dinosaurs. At issue: figuring out how these extinct animals’ likely behaved.
- Animals
These beetles ‘drink’ water using their butts
Red flour beetles can survive in very dry environments. New research shows how the beetles can suck water from the air using their rear ends.
- Agriculture
Native Amazonians make rich soils — and ancient people may have too
Modern Amazonians make nutrient-rich soil from ash, food scraps and burns. The soil strongly resembles ancient “dark earth” found in the region.
- Archaeology
Carvings on Australia’s boab trees reveal a people’s lost history
Archaeologists and an Aboriginal family are working together to find and document a First Nations group’s lost ties to the land.
- Brain
The pandemic prematurely aged teens’ brains
A small study showed certain structural changes that appeared three to four years early. Normally, premature aging of the brain is not a good sign.
- Humans
This ancient ivory comb reveals a wish to be free of lice
The comb bears the earliest known complete sentence written in a phonetic alphabet, researchers say.
- Animals
Some seabirds survive typhoons by flying into them
Some birds take massive detours to avoid cyclones. But shearwaters caught between land and the storm’s eye sometimes fly toward the storm’s center.
- Animals
This acrobatic spider flips for its food — literally
An acrobatic hunting trick lets the Australian ant-slayer spider catch prey twice its size, a new study shows.
- Animals
Watch: This red fox is the first spotted fishing for its food
Big fish in shallow water were easy pickings for this red fox. It’s the first of its species known to fish.
- Animals
Whale sharks may be the world’s largest omnivores
Chemical clues in the sharks’ skin show that the animals eat and digest algae.
- Earth
Climate change is upping the height of Earth’s lower atmosphere
The upper edge of the troposphere, the slice of sky closest to the ground, rose 50 to 60 meters (165 to 200 feet) a decade from 1980 to 2020.
- Climate
Can scientists develop an icy sanctuary for Arctic life?
The final refuge for summer sea ice may also protect the creatures that depend on it. Saving it is an ambitious goal with many hurdles.
