A University of Oxford-led team of scientists has observed bearded capuchins (Sapajus libidinosus) in Brazil deliberately break stones, unintentionally producing sharp-edged flakes that have the characteristics and morphology of intentionally produced hominin tools. Examples of flaked stones produced by bearded capuchins (Sapajus libidinosus). Scale bars – 5?cm. Image credit: Tomos …

A new species of drywood termite has been described from tropical dry forests of Colombia’s Caribbean coast. Proneotermes macondianus. Scale bars – 0.5 mm. Image credit: Casalla R. et al. Discovered by termitologists from Germany, the United States and Colombia, the new termite has been officially named Proneotermes macondianus. “The …

A new species of millipede, called Illacme tobini, has been discovered in a cave in Sequoia National Park, California. Illacme tobini. Scale bar – 1 mm. Image credit: P.E. Marek et al. The new species was identified and named by millipede taxonomist Dr. Paul Marek of Virginia Tech and his …

A new animal study published in the journal Cell Reports shows vitamin D engages longevity genes to increase lifespan and prevent the accumulation of toxic proteins linked to age-related chronic diseases. Mark et al demonstrate that vitamin D promotes protein homeostasis and slows aging in the nematode C. elegans. Image …

Common swifts (Apus apus) remain airborne for 10 months of their non-breeding period, according to a new study by Lund University ornithologists. A common swift (Apus apus). Image credit: N. Camilleri. While there had been examples of birds remaining in flight for periods of months, including frigate birds and alpine …

Researchers have described three new species in the previously monotypic bird genus Stiphrornis: two from West Africa and one from the Congo. Stiphrornis erythothorax, until now the only species in the genus Stiphrornis, by Joseph Smit, 1883, in the Catalogue of the birds in the British Museum, vol. 7. The …

Herbivorous, or plant-eating, mammals have bigger bellies than their usually slim carnivorous counterparts, according to a study led by University of Zurich researcher Marcus Clauss. Hippo family in Botswana. Image credit: Hans Stieglitz / CC BY-SA 3.0. Prof. Clauss and his colleagues from Germany and the UK studied the shape …

Chimpanzees in Guinea are regularly using long and robust tools to fish for algae, reveals new research published this month in the American Journal of Primatology. Chimpanzee fishing algae. Image credit: PanAf Project / Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) often use tools to extract or consume …

A study published in the journal Royal Society Open Science shows that the Brazilian free-tailed bat can achieve flight speeds of 100 mph (160 km per hour) — faster than those previously documented for any bat or bird. The Brazilian free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis) can reach record-breaking speeds, according to …

A new study published in the journal Cell Reports reveals that a protein called Piezo 1 is directly responsible for sensing touch. Knowledge about Piezo 1 could be relevant for designing better pain medications and exploring future therapies for blood disorders, hypertension and more. Piezo proteins transduce physical forces and …