Animal science

Scientists have successfully extracted RNA from an extinct species for the first time. This was achieved in the thylacine, a species of carnivorous marsupial that roamed Australia until a century ago – and may again one day, if current plans bear fruit.

In an effort to foil these proficient hide-and-seekers, scientists have enlisted a tech secret weapon to find the northern hairy-nosed wombat, a shy and critically endangered Aussie icon. Despite their hiding skills, just an estimated 315 animals remain.

The animal kingdom is home to all kinds of stories – even horror stories. Scientists at Brown University have now uncovered a creepy new zombie story involving worms that propagate by hack their shrimp host's genome to take control of their minds.

The blue whale has long been considered the largest animal to have ever existed, even dwarfing the biggest known dinosaurs. But now a new species threatens to steal the crown, and upends what we thought we knew about whale evolution.

Rebuilding knees with kangaroo tissue is one step, or hop, closer to being a reality, with human trials set to get under way in 2024. Their tendons are six times stronger than our own and are more sustainable and durable than current surgery options.

In a world first, researchers have successfully reared cone snails in a laboratory aquarium, gaining rare insight into juveniles with different venom and unlocking the power of their complex conotoxin compounds for a vast range of human therapeutics.

Scientists have speculated about the cognitive and dreaming abilities of the octopus. This study is a step closer in understanding their complex behavior. As does a study on cuttlefish from the same team, showing their color shifting like never before.

Love it or hate it, but the way humans modify their speech when they communicate with their young offspring, commonly known as "baby talk," has now been recorded among bottlenose dolphin mothers. It's the first time it's been heard, too.

Scientists have used fossilized megalodon teeth to estimate the ancient shark’s body temperature, and found it wasn’t exactly a cold-blooded killer. Strangely enough, that might have contributed to its downfall.

With evolution there’s always a trade-off – long necks may help you find food but they’re also a massive weak spot. Now, paleontologists have found direct fossil evidence of prehistoric, long-necked marine reptiles being decapitated by predators.

Scientists have observed the first known “virgin birth” in a female crocodile, kept alone in captivity for 16 years. The find reveals that this unusual form of reproduction is possible in more species than we thought – including, perhaps, dinosaurs.

Getting your cat spayed is a normal part of pet ownership, but it can be expensive, invasive and not very practical on strays. Now scientists have tested a new method that renders female cats permanently sterile with a single gene therapy injection.