Can a repeat of disastrous Ebola epidemic be averted this time?
The latest outbreak of the deadly virus has spread to a city of a million people in the Democratic Republic of Congo. But hopes are high disaster can be avoided
Ape ‘midwives’ spotted helping female bonobos give birth
When female bonobos went into labour, other females gathered around to keep them safe, swatting away flies and even seemingly trying to catch the baby as it emerged
A third of ‘protected’ nature zones are quietly being ruined
The world’s nations have set up 200,000 protected areas in which nature is supposed to flourish, but in many cases the protection is pretty much theoretical
Harsh: Europe’s cannabis died just as the first farmers arrived
Cannabis – the source of the drug marijuana – virtually disappeared from Europe just as farmers arrived, so they didn’t get the chance to grow it for another 4500 years
Lizards keep evolving toxic green blood and we don’t know why
All the green-blooded lizards in the world live in New Guinea, but it turns out the trait has evolved there independently at least four times
A new synthetic molecule may solve a paradox about life’s origin
Many scientists suspect life began with a molecule called RNA, but there has long been a big problem with this idea. Now there is a solution
Rich nations restore their own forests but trash those elsewhere
As countries get richer, they start replanting their forests – but this is not a big environmental gain because they “export” the deforestation to poor countries
Stem cells may reveal how Neanderthal DNA works in modern humans
Many of us carry DNA inherited from Neanderthals, but we can’t be sure how it affects us. Stem cells with Neanderthal DNA could tell us
A plague from South Korea is killing frogs and toads worldwide
The world’s amphibians are dying in swathes because of the lethal chytrid fungus, and it seems the epidemic had its origins on the Korean peninsula
Ferocious pack-hunting pseudoscorpions believe in sharing fairly
One species of pseudoscorpion has learned to work together to bring down prey larger than themselves – and when they make a kill they make sure the food is shared equitably