Animals

Suzanne Simard: How Do Trees Collaborate?

10:14am June 26, 2020

by NPR/TED STAFF

Ecologist Suzanne Simard shares how she discovered that trees use underground fungal networks to communicate and share resources, uprooting the idea that nature constantly competes for survival.

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Rare Hybrid Sea Turtle Joins Turtle Race In Florida Keys

5:26am June 26, 2020

Every year turtles race to see who can travel furthest during migration in an event put on by the Sea Turtle Conservancy. A rare hybrid hawksbill-green sea turtle will participate for the first time.

New research shows that dolphins can learn foraging behavior from other dolphins.

Science

Dolphins Learn Foraging Tricks From Each Other, Not Just From Mom

4:07pm June 25, 2020

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Scientists have found that dolphins learn a neat trick to trap fish by watching their close associates do it. This means that dolphins aren't just motivated to learn from their mothers.

Dutch Minks Contract COVID-19 — And Appear To Infect Humans

3:03pm June 25, 2020

by Pien Huang

This outbreak of COVID-19 adds to the list of animals that can contract the disease. And, in this instance, the minks seem to have passed the virus on to humans.

Golden Retriever Celebrates Milestone Birthday

6:11am June 25, 2020

August — her friends call her Augie — is a 20-year-old golden retriever, and the birthday makes her the oldest of her breed on record. A Tennessee couple adopted Augie when she was 14.

Australian Mouse Feared Extinct After Bush Fires Found Alive

5:23am June 24, 2020

The Australian smoky mouse was already endangered, and after the Australian fires many feared it was extinct. But camera traps recently spotted the species in seven different locations.

The closer humans are to animals, the greater the opportunity for zoonotic spillover, where a pathogen jumps from animal to human.

'Like Poking a Beehive': The Worrisome Link Between Deforestation And Disease

11:36am June 22, 2020

by Nathan Rott

Scientists say accelerating deforestation and development may increase the risk of pandemic diseases. The current economic crisis may also make that trend worse if more people cut down trees for fuel.

Osprey looking for alewives along the Sebasticook River in Maine. The removal of two dams has allowed migratory fish to return.

'One Of The Best Nature Shows': A River Transformed After Dams Come Down

7:58am June 21, 2020

by Murray Carpenter

In a growing trend, dozens of aging dams are removed from U.S. rivers every year. In Maine, this has meant the return of millions of migratory fish, plus bald eagles and other birds who eat them.

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Cows Take Over British Hotel's Closed Beer Garden

5:57am June 18, 2020

The beer garden was shut down because of the coronavirus, but that didn't stop cows from a nearby farm. The hotel owner told a local paper that the cows must have thought they had "herd immunity."

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An artist's interpretation of a baby mosasaur hatching from an egg in the Antarctic sea.

Scientists Find The Biggest Soft-Shelled Egg Ever, Nicknamed 'The Thing'

5:36pm June 17, 2020

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

A new study of dinosaur eggs, as well as a football-size egg from Antarctica, shows how some ancient creatures relied on soft shells rather than hard ones.

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