Science

There are over eight hundred species of leeches, but researchers estimate that only ten percent of all leeches are terrestrial.

We hate to tell you this, but there are leeches that can jump

Generally, we at Short Wave are open-minded to the creepies and the crawlies, but even we must admit that leeches are already the stuff of nightmares. They lurk in water. They drink blood. There are over 800 different species of them. And now, as scientists have confirmed ... at least some of them can jump!

Interested in more critter science? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to consider your animal of choice for a future episode!
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Two chimpanzees groom each other — a behavior that can involve several gestures.

What chimpanzee gestures reveal about human communication

Chimpanzees are humans' closest living relatives. But does much of their communication resembles ours? According to a new study published earlier this week in the journal Current Biology, chimpanzees gesture back-and-forth in a similar way to how humans take turns speaking. The research presents an intriguing possibility that this style of communication may have evolved before humans split off from great apes, and tells researchers more about how turn-taking evolved.

Interested in more science news? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.

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