Animals

Monkey who escaped wildlife park in Scotland is returned — pudding gets the credit

7:26am February 05, 2024

Searchers tried everything to locate the Japanese macaque, but it was Yorkshire pudding that ended his freedom. A woman noticed pudding she had left on her patio was gone — then she spotted Honshu.

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This photo provided by David Lei shows Flaco the owl on April 28, 2023, in New York. As Flaco enters his second year in the spotlight, it can be easy to forget that his freedom is the result of a crime, one that has improbably remained unsolved for a year.

National

A year later, Flaco the owl's escape from the Central Park Zoo remains a mystery

11:43am February 03, 2024

by The Associated Press

Flaco has become one of New York City's most beloved characters, lounging in courtyards and on fire escapes. But it can be easy to forget that his freedom is the result of an unsolved crime.

Punxsutawney Phil is the most famous of the weather-predicting rodents that emerge on Groundhog Day — but in some areas, female groundhogs are the ones making the call.

National

Phil. Chuck. Jimmy. Here's why many Groundhog Day prognosticators are male

10:13am February 02, 2024

by Bill Chappell

There is a simple reason for male groundhogs to seize the Feb. 2 holiday. But the handlers of female groundhogs say their animals are more accurate than Punxsutawney Phil.

Health & Safety

Children who have dogs, especially girls, get an exercise boost, study finds

5:15am February 02, 2024

by Maria Godoy

A new study finds that having a dog can boost daily activity levels in girls by 52 minutes a day.

Spiderwebs can act as air filters that catch environmental DNA from terrestrial vertebrates, scientists say.

Need to track animals around the world? Tap into the 'spider-verse,' scientists say

9:28am February 01, 2024

by Ari Daniel

Spiderwebs can capture environmental DNA, or eDNA, from vertebrate animals in their area, potentially making them a useful tool in animal monitoring, tracking and conservation.

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Science

Spiderwebs could offer a snapshot of an ecosystem, study shows

5:21pm January 31, 2024

by Ari Daniel

Scientists have found that spiderwebs can be used to capture environmental DNA, which reflects the animal population of an area. The technique may help track the biodiversity of an ecosystem.

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If you're a fan of cat cafes, maybe you should give pig cafes a try

6:53am January 31, 2024

In Japan, customers can make reservations at pig cafes. They can cuddle with miniature pigs, which contrary to reputation, are potty trained and are super clean.

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Scientists have found that artificial light can interfere with many insects' ability to position themselves relative to the sky.

Science

'Like moths to a flame'? Here's what's going on with insects and porch lights

4:43pm January 30, 2024

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Those insects you see flying in crazed circles are trying to keep their backs towards the light because they think that direction is up, new research suggests.

Goats, are you paying attention to our tone of voice? A new study tries to answer that question. It involved 27 goats, a loudspeaker and recordings of the phrase "Hey, look over here!"

Health & Safety

Hey lil' goat, can you tell the difference between a happy voice and an angry voice?

9:14am January 30, 2024

by Marc Silver

Dogs tune into the tone of human voices. Do livestock? To find out, goatologists ran an experiment using a hidden speaker that broadcast two versions of the phrase "Hey, look over here."

A manatee swims among seagrass in the Homosassa River on Oct. 5, 2021 in Homosassa, Fla.

Science

A Florida park just saw a record number of manatees gather together in its waters

3:36pm January 29, 2024

by Diba Mohtasham

Nearly 1,000 manatees gathered at Blue Spring State Park on one of the coldest winter days of the season. Here's why the growing number of manatees at the park is encouraging.