Cats evolved from arid land animals, contributing to their aversion to water

Cats began cozying up to humans around 10,000 years ago

The feline family is a hugely diverse group of lions, panthers, and kitties that have spread all over the world. The ancestors of the cats we love today helped solve rodent problems when humans first invented agriculture. They've been worshipped, loved, and scorned by humans since.

Cats have a mutation preventing them from tasting sugar

When certain tastes (sweet, umami, bitter) become irrelevant due to a species' diet or lifestyle, the genes for those tastes degrade. In felines, scientists believe a shift to a protein-heavy diet put evolutionary pressure on the genes responsible for tasting sweetness. (Some users may encounter a paywall.)

Are cats good for our health?

Being a cat lover can have a profound effect on your life. This article in The Conversation presents a fascinating collection of findings related to the benefits and consequences of cat ownership. Discover compelling research about the positive heart health and mental health outcomes cats can bring, along with potential risks.

Why tardigrades are a model extremotolerant species rather than an extremophile

By expelling most of the water from their bodies, water bears assume a state resembling a dried-up cyst and can withstand extreme environments, such as arid deserts. But in this state and these environments, tardigrades cannot grow, reproduce, or perform other functions associated with life, unlike extremophiles like dry-loving xerophiles.

Mammals thrived under the feet of dinosaurs

An explosion of fossil finds reveals that ancient mammals evolved a wide variety of adaptations allowing them to exploit the skies, rivers and underground lairs.

The tongue evolved in animals roughly 350 million years ago

Creatures like fish rely on suction to consume food, flexing their gills to create water currents that vacuum up their meals. The evolution of the tongue enabled vertebrates to completely cut ties with the sea, moving onto land where they could sample new foods and ways to eat them.

Cold-blooded reptiles seek heat, and that behavior may help combat fungal infections

This Radiolab podcast episode takes on the idea that though our human bodies are too warm for the majority of fungal species to effectively replicate inside our bodies, that's not the case for reptiles. Yet when those species warm their bodies by basking in the sun on rocks, they can soak up heat and may also help keep fungal infections in check.

The fish can climb walls

Scientists in Brazil captured rare footage of bumblebee catfish climbing waterfalls. How they do it is clear, but why remains a mystery.

Embracing poor hygiene in early life won't stave off allergies

The hygiene hypothesis, first proposed in 1989 by British immunologist David Strachan, suggests that early life exposure to microbes—like those from farm dust or pets—properly trains our immune systems to respond to threats. But sometimes the idea is misinterpreted: It doesn’t mean that poor hygiene—like failing to wash hands–will help ward off allergies; that type of behavior leads to infections and won’t help with allergy prevention.

Asteroids are artifacts of water's presence in the solar system

Asteroids contributed to planet formation and carried water from the solar system's outer reaches toward the center. They were also early providers of the necessary elements and conditions for life to evolve on Earth.

Bats have evolved to carry viruses without getting sick

Bats—the likely animal reservoir for diseases including Ebola and coronavirus—tolerate viruses without getting sick. The secret lies in evolutionary adaptations allowing bats to become the world’s only flying mammal and to thrive under immense physiological stressors.

Zoo animals have developed allergies, too

Although scientists do not know if allergies manifest among wild animals—and if animals can survive with them—in a zoo setting, veterinarians have observed zoo animals with common allergy symptoms, including itchiness, crusty skin, and runny eyes. Veterinarians have identified Asian elephants with pollen allergies and at least one jaguar with an allergy to fleas.

Larger animals like giraffes, elephants, and blue whales have developed a unique defense against cancer, a phenomenon known as Peto's Paradox

Window collisions and cats kill more birds than wind turbine farms

Researchers are developing solutions to reduce bird fatalities due to wind turbine farms, including radar systems integrating AI to detect birds and shut down systems. Painting blades with various patterns is also being tested, which may reduce bird strikes by 70%.

Bath bombs can produce endothermic reactions that cool water

In bath bombs containing citric acid and sodium bicarbonate, water facilitates the reaction between the bicarbonate and acid, providing energy as the salt dissolves. The loss of energy in the water reduces the average speed of the water molecules, reducing the temperature of the bath.

Since 2022, two-thirds of data centers have been built in water-stressed areas

In residential evaporative cooling systems, 10% of consumed water is lost to evaporation compared to 80% in data centers. Although some companies have pledged to become water-positive—replenishing more freshwater than they consume—by 2030 through a transition to air cooling, only 10% of data center operators track water use across all their facilities.

Bottled water started as a 19th-century wellness trend

Selling drinking water in America began at resorts in New York and West Virginia, where tourists were encouraged to take the regenerative mineral water back to their homes.

Debating whether water is or is not wet depends on one's definition of wetness

If defined as a liquid sticking to a surface, then water itself is not wet. The sensation of "wetness" arises from water molecules latching onto an object. This occurs because water is a polar molecule possessing local regions of positive and negative charge that are attracted to charge imbalances on the surface of materials.

Learn how to build your own vivarium

Creating a self-contained habitat for plants and microscopic animals requires a careful balance of organisms that maintain a cycle of water, nutrients, and other chemicals throughout. Bottlenecks in these cycles are mitigated through careful construction, such as incorporating a drainage layer to effectively manage water.

Pets can experience vertigo, particularly older dogs

This type of dizziness is often caused by disorders of the vestibular system, and in dogs is often referred to as "old dog vestibular disease" because it tends to occur in older animals. The condition tends to resolve on its own in days or weeks. Vertigo is less common among cats than dogs, and in felines is typically caused by inner ear infections or other causes including a tumor.

Jane Austen was unhappy in the city of Bath, but it inspired some of her books

In 1801, Austen's father retired and abruptly moved the family from Steventon to Bath. Austen loathed her new home, but she used it as the setting for pieces of her novels "Persuasion" and "Northanger Abbey." "The scandals and shallowness of the city fueled her cynicism and wit; nothing escaped her scathing pen," an exhibition on Austen from the Bath Preservation Trust explained.

A primer on human tears

Tears are one of the many behaviors that differentiate humans from the rest of the animal kingdom. Why do we cry? This comprehensive and well-written essay explores various theories about why we cry, observes tear fluid as the only one that does not elicit disgust, and attempts to interpret the meaning of tears in different circumstances. See what all the fuss is about here.

Pure water does not conduct electricity because this flow of energy requires the movement of charged particles, and water is a neutral molecule.

Learn how your earwax may be determined by genetics—and geography

Researchers have discovered that wet and dry earwax are associated with specific gene variations. Wet earwax is particularly associated with warmer areas of Europe, Asia, and the Americas, suggesting that dry earwax may have been evolutionarily advantageous in cooler climates.

The funniest pet photos of 2022

Chess-playing cats, water-loving dogs, and happy horses are among the finalists of the 2022 Comedy Pet Photography Awards.

Studies suggest only 9% of a dog's personality comes from its breed

While all dogs descend from wolves domesticated and bred for specific tasks by humans at least 15,000 years ago, most behavioral characteristics result from a mix of genetics and environment, which result in diverse canine dispositions within the same breed.

Humans need higher levels of water-soluble vitamins that easily pass through the body

There are two types of vitamins: lipid soluble and water-soluble. Water-soluble vitamins like B vitamins and vitamin C are in the watery parts of fruits and easily pass through the human body before being taken up by the bloodstream or exiting your body. But lipid (fat) soluble vitamins must be absorbed through the intestinal wall, carried by proteins, and then may be stored in the liver and other body parts—meaning there is greater risk of overdosing.

Animal phobias are likely the most common type of phobias, followed by an extreme fear of heights.

Poison ivy is in the same family as mangoes, cashews, and pistachios—and they all produce oily urushiol in their raw, unprocessed state—but they are typically prepared in ways to avoid causing human discomfort.

The boiling temperature of water decreases with increasing elevation because the molecules need less energy to overcome the lower atmospheric pressure associated with thinner air.

To reduce wrinkles in clothing, research recommends gentle wash cycles with more water and tumble drying with smaller loads and longer times.

Before humans, the Soviet Union and the United States sent animals—including apes, dogs, and cats—to space during the Space Race.

For centuries, Niagara Falls has been a magnet for daredevils seeking to conquer one of nature's most powerful wonders, with its 200-foot drop and water rushing at 32 feet per second with 280 tons of force.

Crows are believed to have intelligence on par with a seven-year-old child and demonstrate complex behaviors, from problem-solving with tools to recognizing human faces.

An investigation suggests a Scottish island became awash in forever chemicals via seafoam and seaspray—raising questions about what that means for the safety of other coastal areas.

The history of many kitchen appliances involves unexpected discoveries and applications, including wartime radar turned hamster defroster and replacing an 'ice king' with heat-stealing boxes.

The Great Salt Lake's distinct dual coloration results from high-salinity organisms that only live in the northern portion and produce a purple protein.

The Dracula character, now seen as the vampire archetype, was inspired by a seafood-induced nightmare its creator experienced.

Graffiti dates back to at least ancient Pompeii, where citizens scrawled messages to one another on public walls

SpongeBob exemplifies Aristotle's philosophy for living well because he understands that happiness doesn't come from external factors like money, recognition, or power.

Human-to-human transmission of hantavirus remains extremely rare, so the 2026 hantavirus cruise ship outbreak doesn't mean we're facing a COVID-style pandemic risk.

All rainbows are 'raincircles' caused by water droplets separating white sunlight into a spectrum of colors, but Earth's surface blocks the bottom half of the circle from our line of sight.

Corals are themselves not coral reefs—the term refers to the tiny marine invertebrates that build the rigid reef.

Studies suggest when you sleep is as important as how much you get, and syncing with your circadian rhythms may lead to less fatigue and improved long-term health outcomes

The 19th-century painters of the Hudson River School were among the first American romantics, with portraits that displayed the natural beauty of the young country.

Volcanoes 'die' when their supply of magma runs out, if they are shifted away from their underlying magma reservoir, or if they get clogged by collapsing or their magma cooling back into rock.

The word 'jazz' evolved from 'jasm,' 19th-century American slang for 'energy'

Children are now three times more likely to say they want to be a YouTuber when they grow up than an astronaut, with some even attending 'YouTube camps' that teach kids how to create content for the platform.

'Silent' fireworks have gained more interest in recent years as a quieter celebratory option.

Hotels in Cannes, the glamorous city on the French Riviera, hire hawks to ward off seagulls during the city's famous film festival.