Young ‘dinosauromorphs’ may have begged for food like baby birds
Tens of millions of years before dinosaurs evolved into birds, a proto-dinosaur had surprising features that suggest its young needed parental care after hatching
Chimps are now dying of the common cold and they are all at risk
The deaths of five Ugandan chimpanzees have been traced to a human cold virus, and DNA tests suggest all African chimps are vulnerable
Cute cats the size of kittens are seeing their homes destroyed
Güiñas are the smallest cats in the Americas, smaller than most domestic cats, and they are becoming increasingly rare
A capsized oil tanker is releasing invisible toxins into the sea
The slick of oil condensate from a stricken tanker in the East China Sea is a threat to all marine life, not least because it is invisible
How besieged ants decide when it’s time to abandon their nests
Colonies of turtle ants are often attacked by competing species, and the ants understand enough military strategy to decide when certain nests should be abandoned
Plants use sand armour to break teeth of attacking caterpillars
Some plants are coated in sand, and it seems the sand grains act like medieval armour that protects these “psammophorous” plants from munching caterpillars
Our lust for tastier chocolate has transformed the cocoa tree
Ever since we domesticated the cocoa tree over 3000 years ago, we have been breeding them to make tastier chocolate – but in the process we have made them vulnerable
Odd fossils hint first complex life hung on long after its time
The strange Ediacarans were some of the earliest complex organisms on Earth. They are thought to have died out 540 million years ago but eight odd fossils suggest they survived far longer
Hardy Antarctic tardigrades may be threatened by climate change
Tardigrades can famously survive almost anything, including being sent into space, but the Antarctic species could face problems as a result of climate change
After crows fight they touch and preen each other to make up
Carrion crows sometimes have violent squabbles over food, but afterwards the aggressor will often sit by the victim as if to console them and reconcile