Stories by Karen Hopkin

For thousands of years, women in agricultural societies seem to have had arms stronger than members of modern rowing teams.

Analysis of alleged yeti samples found them to be from less fantastic beasts, such as bears, but also shed light on the evolution of those local bear populations.

Wolves appear to have better cooperation skills than dogs—unless the pups partner up with humans. Karen Hopkin reports.

Mosquitos stealthily float off us after filling up, by virtue of fast wingbeats that generate almost instant lift with only an imperceptible additional push from the legs.  

Humans appear well equipped to recognize the alarm calls of other animals—perhaps because sounds of distress tend to have higher frequencies. Karen Hopkin reports.

Volunteers who used money to save themselves time were more content than volunteers who purchased themselves physical stuff. Karen Hopkin reports.

The better study participants scored in the memory test, the faster they got bored. Karen Hopkin reports.

Mosquitoes infected with Wolbachia bacteria are unable to transmit viruses to humans—and could curb the spread of viral disease. Karen Hopkin reports.

A religiously inspired change in the European diet about a thousand years ago led to the development of the modern domesticated chicken.

Researchers have trotted out data that show a combination of whipping and stomping forces is what causes laces to unravel without warning. Karen Hopkin reports.

A study of house cats and shelter cats found that the felines actually tended to choose human company over treats or toys.

Japanese macaques at the receiving end of aggression tend to then take it out on a close associate or family member of the original aggressor.

Astronauts’ gray matter is compressed by time in space—except in an area that controls feeling and movement in the legs. Karen Hopkin reports.

Charles Platkin, director of the New York City Food Policy Center at Hunter College, published tips on what it would take to burn off the calories we typically consume during the Super Bowl

The six-legged savants appear to use celestial cues and three forms of memory, as they blaze a trail back to the nest. Karen Hopkin reports.

A study examines the effects of a high-sugar diet on the life spans of fruit flies. Another studies how the flies’ appetite-suppressing pathways may be similar to ours. Karen Hopkin reports. 

Competition between older female orcas and their adult daughters when they can breed simultaneously may cause the matriarch to enter menopause.

A model of the dolphin vocal apparatus shows that they need a coating of mucus to produce their distinctive sounds.

A genetic analysis of leftovers from an exotic dinner in 1951 reveals that the diners got less than they were promised.

The call of the tufted titmouse conveys important information about the presence of potential predators. But only if other birds can hear it. Karen Hopkin reports.

Over their lifetimes, macaques follow the same trajectory as humans in the amount of interest they have in observing what another individual is looking at.

A lizard's stripes may make them look like they’re moving slower than they really are, confusing predators that tend to aim at the head but may wind up with the tail.  

In mice, intestinal microbes respond to a high-fat diet by producing acetate, which triggers the release of a hormone that makes mammals feel hungry, causing them to eat even more.

Shy sticklebacks were more likely to emerge from under cover when an equally wary fellow was already out there, rather than when a bold individual was present.