
Pigeon Neurons Use Much Less Energy Than Those of Mammals
Weirdly efficient neurons power birds’ dense brains
Tess Joosse was formerly an Editorial Fellow at Scientific American. She earned a master's degree in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Pigeon Neurons Use Much Less Energy Than Those of Mammals
Weirdly efficient neurons power birds’ dense brains

Mammoth Tusk Reveals Ancient Mammal’s Travels
Chemical analyses showed an individual mammoth made an epic journey across Alaska

Trees Drill into Deep Bedrock for Water Surprisingly Often
Bedrock water could be a hidden source of moisture as climate change threatens forests

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Tiny Vibrating Bubbles Could Make Mining More Sustainable
An updated bubbling process allows for more efficient mineral separation

Fossilized Poop Shows How Ancient Dogs Adapted to People
Microbe DNA trapped in 3,500-year-old fossils shows canine adaptation to agricultural diets

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Top news from around the world

Invasive Cheatgrass Spreads Under City Lights
The prolific plant, which impacts agriculture and spurs wildfire, seems to particularly benefit from streetlights

Mammoth Tusk Analysis Reveals Epic Lifetime Journey around Alaska
Researchers find the mammoth walked far enough to circle the globe twice

Wolf Populations Drop as More States Allow Hunting
Repercussions of planned and anticipated wolf hunts and traps could ripple through ecosystems for years to come, scientists say

How Rootworms Sniff Carbon Dioxide to Devastate Corn Crops
Scientists silenced CO2-sensing genes to determine how the destructive pests find their food

Is This Food Really Healthy? New Packaging Labels Would Tell You
A simple traffic light symbol or a set of stars on the fronts of food products would advise consumers

Squirrels Use Gymnastics to Navigate Treetop Canopies
Their acrobatic leaping skills could serve as inspiration for new robotics

The ‘Hydrogen Olympics’ Lit a Torch for the Clean Fuel’s Future
An energy expert explains why Japan—along with much of the rest of the world—is committing to the clean-burning fuel

Caffeine Boosts Bees’ Focus and Helps Them Learn
By associating caffeinated sugar water and a target scent, researchers teach bumblebees to stay on task

Wolves Raised by Humans Can’t Understand People like Dogs Can
Dog puppies are 30 times more interested in unknown humans than young wolves, confirming an evolutionary hypothesis

Aliens Might Already Be Watching Us
A new star map reveals more than 2,000 stars, some with their own planets, that have a direct view of our planetary presence

Searching 230-Million-Year-Old Poop, Scientists Find a New Beetle
A new species emerged from three-dimensional x-rays of droppings left by a close dinosaur relative

It’s Not You, It’s COVID: Couples Who Blamed Pandemic for Tensions Stayed Happier
Pinning stress on the coronavirus helped couples cope and remain resilient

Australia’s Plague of Mice Is Devastating and Could Get a Lot Worse
Drought and extreme rainfall led to an infestation in the nation’s farming areas