{"id":197734,"date":"2024-12-18T14:37:52","date_gmt":"2024-12-18T14:37:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/18\/these-are-our-favorite-animal-stories-of-2024\/"},"modified":"2024-12-18T14:37:52","modified_gmt":"2024-12-18T14:37:52","slug":"these-are-our-favorite-animal-stories-of-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/18\/these-are-our-favorite-animal-stories-of-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"These are our favorite animal stories of 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><\/div> \r\n<br><div data-component=\"video-embed\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\n\n\n<p>From superpowered bees to theatrical snakes, these reports from the animal kingdom drove us wild in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mighty morphin\u2019 beluga blobs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You can learn a lot about a beluga (<em>Delphinapterus leucas<\/em>) by watching its forehead. During social interactions, belugas in captivity <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencenews.org\/article\/belugas-communicate-warping-forehead-fat\">mold their melons \u2014 fat deposits on the head used for echolocation \u2014 into five distinct shapes<\/a> (<em>SN: 6\/1\/24, p. 9<\/em>). Scientists suspect that the squishy shapes are purposeful communications and hope to investigate whether wild belugas manipulate their melons too.<\/p>\n\n\n<aside class=\"sn-conversion rich-text rich-text--with-sidebar\">\n<style><![CDATA[\n.email-conversion {\n  border: 1px solid #ffcccb;\n  color: white;\n  margin-top: 50px;\n  background-image: url(\"\/wp-content\/themes\/sciencenews\/client\/src\/images\/cta-module@2x.jpg\");\n  padding: 20px;\n  clear: both;\n}\n\n]]><\/style>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"rich-text embedded-conversion-content is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<style><![CDATA[\n#dynamic-wrapper {\n  border: 1px solid #ffcccb;\n  background-image: url(\"https:\/\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/cta_background_aurora.jpg\");\n  background-size: cover;\n  background-position: center center;\n  padding: 20px;\n  clear: both;\n}\n\n#dynamic-conversion {\n  padding: 20px;\n  background:rgba(0,0,0, 0.5);\n  color: white;\n}\n\n#dynamic-conversion h2 {\n  color: white;\n}\n\np.has-text-align-center a {\n  color: white !important;\n  text-decoration: none;\n  font-weight: bold;\n}\n\n]]><\/style>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"dynamic-wrapper\" class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div id=\"dynamic-conversion\" class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Have feedback for Science News?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Help us improve by telling us about your experience<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/aside>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Feathered flourishes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Persian poems say that domestic parlor roller pigeons (<em>Columba livia<\/em>) do backflips on the ground because they\u2019re happy \u2014 but the real reason comes down to their genes. A researcher has narrowed down the cause to 300 genes, with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencenews.org\/article\/why-roller-pigeons-backflip-bird-animal\">five confirmed to play a part<\/a> in the bizarre behavior (<em>SN: 4\/20\/24, p. 4<\/em>). Meanwhile out in the wild, Japanese tits (<em>Parus minor<\/em>) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencenews.org\/article\/fluttering-wings-bird-body-language\">flutter their wings to tell mates to enter the nest first<\/a>, a type of gestural communication usually seen only in primates (<em>SN: 4\/20\/24, p. 10<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><span class=\"caption wp-caption-3137867\">Parlor roller pigeons like this one have a movement disorder that prevents them from flying. At least five genes are involved in making the birds do backward somersaults, new research suggests.<\/span><span class=\"credit wp-credit-3137867\">Copyright Genetic Science Learning Center at the University of Utah<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Playful pets<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Say the name of your dog\u2019s favorite toy, and she might be disappointed if you produce a different plaything instead. When shown an unexpected toy, pet dogs\u2019 brains generate a signal that in humans indicates surprise, suggesting pooches may <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencenews.org\/article\/dogs-know-words-favorite-toys\">form mental images of objects<\/a> (<em>SN: 4\/20\/24, p. 11<\/em>). And dogs aren\u2019t the only pets who love a good time; a survey of over 900 cat owners revealed that many <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencenews.org\/article\/cats-fetch-play\">felines play fetch<\/a> \u2014 but only when they feel like it (<em>SN: 2\/10\/24, p. 5<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/032124_ls_dog-words_feat.jpg?fit=1440%2C810&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"A white, gray and tan dog with electrodes on its head lies on a bed\" class=\"wp-image-3137814\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/032124_ls_dog-words_feat.jpg?w=1440&amp;ssl=1 1440w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/032124_ls_dog-words_feat.jpg?resize=680%2C383&amp;ssl=1 680w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/032124_ls_dog-words_feat.jpg?resize=800%2C450&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/032124_ls_dog-words_feat.jpg?resize=330%2C186&amp;ssl=1 330w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/032124_ls_dog-words_feat.jpg?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/032124_ls_dog-words_feat.jpg?resize=1030%2C580&amp;ssl=1 1030w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/032124_ls_dog-words_feat.jpg?resize=1380%2C776&amp;ssl=1 1380w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><span class=\"caption wp-caption-3137814\">Electrodes on dogs\u2019 heads picked up signals of surprise when an unexpected toy appeared, results that suggest dogs form mental concepts of nouns. <\/span><span class=\"credit wp-credit-3137814\">Grzegorz Eliasiewicz<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Solving mammoth mysteries<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The last woolly mammoths died out 4,000 years ago on Wrangel Island, off the coast of Siberia. A slow decline due to inbreeding has largely been blamed for their demise. But a new analysis of 21 mammoth genomes suggests the Wrangel population <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencenews.org\/article\/last-woolly-mammoths-species-extinct\">was surprisingly robust<\/a> and likely died from a natural disaster instead (<em>SN: 8\/10\/24, p. 9<\/em>). Speaking of mammoth DNA, researchers found that genetic material from a freeze-dried, 52,000-year-old mammoth had been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencenews.org\/article\/drying-woolly-mammoth-dna-3d-glass\">preserved so well in Siberian permafrost<\/a> that researchers could determine which genes were active before the animal died. (<em>SN: 8\/24\/24, p. 16<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><p>\n<div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"DQoiLIsVWFQ\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Prepping a piece of woolly mammoth skin to peer at its DNA | Science News\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/DQoiLIsVWFQ?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/p><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Un-bee-lievable superpowers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Is there anything bees can\u2019t do? Peering into the brains of honeybees (<em>Apis mellifera<\/em>) revealed that the insects can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencenews.org\/article\/honeybees-smell-lung-cancer\">detect the scent of lung cancer<\/a> on a patient\u2019s breath (<em>SN: 7\/13\/24, p. 10<\/em>). Not to be outdone, queen common eastern bumblebees (<em>Bombus impatiens<\/em>) have an astonishing power of their own \u2014 they\u2019re surprisingly waterproof. While hibernating underground, the sleeping monarchs can survive floods even if <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencenews.org\/article\/hibernating-bumblebee-queen-underwater\">they\u2019re submerged underwater for a full week<\/a> (<em>SN: 4\/16\/24<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/041624_di_queenbee-underwater_feat.jpg?fit=1440%2C810&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"A black and yellow common Eastern bumblebee queen is perched upside down on a pink apple blossom.\" class=\"wp-image-3138740\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/041624_di_queenbee-underwater_feat.jpg?w=1440&amp;ssl=1 1440w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/041624_di_queenbee-underwater_feat.jpg?resize=680%2C383&amp;ssl=1 680w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/041624_di_queenbee-underwater_feat.jpg?resize=800%2C450&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/041624_di_queenbee-underwater_feat.jpg?resize=330%2C186&amp;ssl=1 330w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/041624_di_queenbee-underwater_feat.jpg?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/041624_di_queenbee-underwater_feat.jpg?resize=1030%2C580&amp;ssl=1 1030w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/041624_di_queenbee-underwater_feat.jpg?resize=1380%2C776&amp;ssl=1 1380w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><span class=\"caption wp-caption-3138740\">Common eastern bumblebee queens (<em>Bombus impatiens<\/em>), like the one seen here visiting an apple flower, are remarkably resilient to flooding when hibernating in their underground chamber, new experiments show.<\/span><span class=\"credit wp-credit-3138740\">Nigel Raine<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image  has-alignleft\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/leachgif4.gif?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"leech\" class=\"wp-image-3147074\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.75;object-fit:cover;width:292px;height:auto\"\/><figcaption><span class=\"credit wp-credit-3147074\">Mai Fahmy<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Leaping leeches<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Legends of \u201cflying leeches\u201d have fueled a centuries-long debate among biologists on whether the worms can leap. But a 2017 cell phone video (shown below) by a researcher may provide answers. The video captures a leech in Madagascar seemingly taking a giant leap, coiling up and then <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencenews.org\/article\/leeches-jump-video-answer-debate\">launching itself off of a leaf<\/a> and onto the ground below (<em>SN: 7\/13\/24 &amp; 7\/27\/24, p. 11<\/em>). Whether the leech\u2019s airborne escapade counts as a jump may puzzle scientists for centuries to come.<\/p>\n\n\n<aside class=\"sn-conversion rich-text rich-text--with-sidebar\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-elements-27c40654034fbeecef6418d6adfe0794\" style=\"color:gray; margin-bottom:0px; font-size:.9rem;\">Sponsor Message<\/p>\n<!-- Tag ID: sciencenews-org_leaderboard_incontent -->\n\n<\/aside>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Fake it \u2019til you make it<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A penchant for overacting can doom a young thespian\u2019s career, but for the dice snake (<em>Natrix tessellata)<\/em> it actually pays off. When caught by a predator, these legless reptiles sometimes go overboard to feign death, thrashing around and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencenews.org\/article\/snake-plays-dead-avoid-predators\">covering themselves in poop<\/a> before dramatically sticking out their tongues and filling their mouths with blood. Using all of these tricks rather than just one or two seems to decrease the time needed to play dead before a predator moves on (<em>SN: 6\/15\/24, p. 11<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/050724_rk_snakes-faking-death_feat.jpg?fit=1440%2C810&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"A photo of a greenish-brown dice snake with blood in its mouth\" class=\"wp-image-3139495\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/050724_rk_snakes-faking-death_feat.jpg?w=1440&amp;ssl=1 1440w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/050724_rk_snakes-faking-death_feat.jpg?resize=680%2C383&amp;ssl=1 680w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/050724_rk_snakes-faking-death_feat.jpg?resize=800%2C450&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/050724_rk_snakes-faking-death_feat.jpg?resize=330%2C186&amp;ssl=1 330w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/050724_rk_snakes-faking-death_feat.jpg?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/050724_rk_snakes-faking-death_feat.jpg?resize=1030%2C580&amp;ssl=1 1030w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/050724_rk_snakes-faking-death_feat.jpg?resize=1380%2C776&amp;ssl=1 1380w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><span class=\"caption wp-caption-3139495\"><span class=\"TextRun SCXW170329659 BCX0\" lang=\"EN\" xml:lang=\"EN\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW170329659 BCX0\">Some dice <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW170329659 BCX0\">snakes<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW170329659 BCX0\"> fake death by filling their mouth with blood (shown) and smearing themselves in musk and poop \u2014 a trifecta of tricks that may help the snakes quickly escape predators.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW170329659 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"credit wp-credit-3139495\"><span class=\"TextRun SCXW67168266 BCX0\" lang=\"EN\" xml:lang=\"EN\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW67168266 BCX0\">Michal <\/span><span class=\"SpellingError SCXW67168266 BCX0\">Fuglevic<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW67168266 BCX0\">\/iStock\/Getty Images Plus<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW67168266 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Got milk?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Mammals have cornered the market on milk (the word \u201cmammal\u201d comes from milk-producing mammary glands, after all), but a wormlike amphibian has its own twist on the drink. Ringed caecilians (<em>Siphonops annulatus<\/em>) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencenews.org\/article\/caecilian-egg-laying-amphibian-feed-milk-animal\">feed their offspring a nutritious, milklike liquid<\/a> that\u2019s prepared in the reproductive tract (<em>SN: 4\/6\/24, p. 10<\/em>). Mother caecilians also offer their own skin to their younglings as a snack. Milk and cookies, anyone?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/030624_jb_amphibian-milk_feat.jpg?fit=1440%2C810&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"A photograph a ringed caecilian female with gray skin, and her pink-skinned babies wrapped up in her tail\" class=\"wp-image-3137468\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/030624_jb_amphibian-milk_feat.jpg?w=1440&amp;ssl=1 1440w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/030624_jb_amphibian-milk_feat.jpg?resize=680%2C383&amp;ssl=1 680w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/030624_jb_amphibian-milk_feat.jpg?resize=800%2C450&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/030624_jb_amphibian-milk_feat.jpg?resize=330%2C186&amp;ssl=1 330w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/030624_jb_amphibian-milk_feat.jpg?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/030624_jb_amphibian-milk_feat.jpg?resize=1030%2C580&amp;ssl=1 1030w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/030624_jb_amphibian-milk_feat.jpg?resize=1380%2C776&amp;ssl=1 1380w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><span class=\"caption wp-caption-3137468\">Ringed caecilian females (one shown, with smaller, pink young) feed their babies a fat-rich fluid similar to mammal milk that\u2019s made in the reproductive tract.<\/span><span class=\"credit wp-credit-3137468\">Carlos Jared<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tun-acious tardigrades<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Tardigrades are famously resilient. The minuscule animals can withstand blasts of X-rays and even the vacuum of space by curling up into a ball, slowing their metabolism and turning their insides into glass. Experiments that bombarded the tiny beasts with hydrogen peroxide have now revealed what triggers this dormant \u201ctun\u201d state: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencenews.org\/article\/tardigrade-tun-oxidation-suspended-animation\">chemical changes to an amino acid in the tardigrades\u2019 proteins<\/a> (<em>SN: 2\/10\/24, p. 10<\/em>). A similar chemical process helps midges, a type of fly, survive extreme dehydration, suggesting it may be a survival technique broadly across the animal kingdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/011724_ts_tardigrade_feat.jpg?fit=1440%2C810&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"a tardigrade, which is a tiny eight-legged animal that resembles a bear, glows purple\" class=\"wp-image-3135140\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/011724_ts_tardigrade_feat.jpg?w=1440&amp;ssl=1 1440w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/011724_ts_tardigrade_feat.jpg?resize=680%2C383&amp;ssl=1 680w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/011724_ts_tardigrade_feat.jpg?resize=800%2C450&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/011724_ts_tardigrade_feat.jpg?resize=330%2C186&amp;ssl=1 330w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/011724_ts_tardigrade_feat.jpg?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/011724_ts_tardigrade_feat.jpg?resize=1030%2C580&amp;ssl=1 1030w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/011724_ts_tardigrade_feat.jpg?resize=1380%2C776&amp;ssl=1 1380w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><span class=\"caption wp-caption-3135140\">Tardigrades, like this one stained with a dye to show its internal organs, can survive extreme conditions while dormant. Scientists have discovered the chemical signal that causes the animals to hunker down and wake up again.<\/span><span class=\"credit wp-credit-3135140\">A.L. Smythers <em>et al<\/em>\/ <em>PLOS ONE <\/em>2024 (<a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CC-BY 4.0<\/a>)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A helping frog finger<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Many animals try to woo mates with special fragrances, but some poison frogs get up close and personal with it. While mating, males of two species grasp females\u2019 faces with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencenews.org\/article\/pheromone-finger-help-poison-frog-mate\">engorged, pheromone-laced fingers<\/a> (<em>SN: 8\/24\/24, p. 10<\/em>). Researchers think the chemicals might help get females ready to deposit eggs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"680\" height=\"391\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/073024_jb_frog-fingers_inline.jpg?resize=680%2C391&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"The tip of one finger on a reddish frog with white spots bulges out more than the others\" class=\"wp-image-3141978\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/073024_jb_frog-fingers_inline.jpg?w=680&amp;ssl=1 680w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/073024_jb_frog-fingers_inline.jpg?resize=666%2C383&amp;ssl=1 666w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/073024_jb_frog-fingers_inline.jpg?resize=323%2C186&amp;ssl=1 323w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><span class=\"caption wp-caption-3141978\">The swollen finger (arrow) of this male Anthony\u2019s poison arrow frog (<em>Epipedobates anthonyi<\/em>) may produce pheromones similar to what salamanders use in their own courtship rituals.<\/span><span class=\"credit wp-credit-3141978\">D. Abondano Almeida\u00a0<em>et al<\/em>\/<em>Molecular Ecology<\/em> 2024<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n<br>\r\n<br><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencenews.org\/article\/favorite-animal-stories-2024\">Source link <\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From superpowered bees to theatrical snakes, these reports from the animal kingdom drove us wild in 2024. Mighty morphin\u2019 beluga blobs You can learn a lot about a beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) by watching its forehead. During social interactions, belugas in captivity mold their melons \u2014 fat deposits on the head used for echolocation \u2014 into [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":197735,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/032124_ts_roller-pigeon_feat.gif?fit=1440%2C810&ssl=1","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[606],"tags":[3909,10893,403],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197734"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=197734"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197734\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":197736,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197734\/revisions\/197736"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/197735"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=197734"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=197734"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=197734"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}