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The survival of coral reefs depends heavily on microorganisms, particularly the symbiotic algae belonging to the family Symbiodiniaceae, which live inside coral cells. These single-celled algae produce organic compounds through photosynthesis and transfer some of these products to their coral hosts, enabling corals to build extensive reefs in the relatively nutrient-poor waters of tropical oceans. However, as seawater temperatures continue to rise, this symbiotic relationship

In a narrow underground tunnel, a naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber) forcefully shoves an approaching colony mate, driving it backward, sometimes for nearly a meter. This assertive display of dominance is most commonly performed by the colony's highest-ranking female. She is the queen, the individual who holds a reproductive monopoly within the naked mole-rat society. Naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber)（Image source：Chomez，CC0 1.0 ） Naked mole-rats are subterranean rod

Albatrosses have long, slender wings that allow them to soar for extended periods by exploiting winds over the ocean. Hummingbird wings are suited to rapid changes in motion and can sustain hovering flight. Penguins lost the ability to fly long ago, yet their wings have been transformed into propulsive surfaces that allow them to manoeuvre rapidly underwater. These examples make it tempting to assume that natural selection has gradually driven the wings of different birds tow

New Zealand possesses one of the world's most representative island bird faunas. Owing to its long isolation from other landmasses and the near absence of terrestrial mammalian predators for tens of millions of years, many birds evolved distinctive lifestyles. These include the giant moa (Dinornithidae), the nocturnal kiwi (Apteryx), and the flightless kākāpō (Strigops habroptilus), all of which are iconic endemic species of New Zealand. takahē（Image source：Pseudopanax，Public

Humans yawn when they are drowsy, and so do dogs, cats, and monkeys. None of this seems particularly surprising. But once we broaden the view to vertebrates as a whole, yawning becomes much more puzzling. Birds yawn, salamanders yawn, and even fish living entirely underwater perform similar movements. If the purpose of yawning were simply to take a deep breath and replenish oxygen, the existence of yawning in fish would immediately complicate that intuitive explanation. In ma

Most plants obtain nutrients through photosynthesis. However, some plants actively capture insects and digest them to absorb nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. These are known as carnivorous plants. Carnivory has independently evolved at least 14 times among flowering plants, giving rise to a remarkable diversity of trapping mechanisms, including pitfall traps, snap traps, sticky traps, suction traps, and lobster-pot traps. Phylogenetic tree of flowering plants showin

When a male fruit fly pursues a female, it uses vision to track her position, detects odors and pheromones, and samples gustatory information by touching her with its forelegs. Males can also detect courtship song produced by other males through their antennae, altering their locomotor activity and courtship behavior in response. Male and female flies receive much of the same sensory information from the outside world, yet they can respond in strikingly different ways. At wha

Intergroup conflict has long been regarded as an important driver of evolution. Many social animals compete with neighboring groups for food, territory, mates, or living space. Such conflicts not only cause injuries and mortality, but also affect individual reproductive success and the persistence of entire groups, thereby exerting a strong influence on the evolution of animal behavior. Previous studies have mainly focused on what happens during intergroup conflicts themselve

Seahorses of the genus Hippocampus are ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii) belonging to the order Syngnathiformes. They have evolved a body plan strikingly different from the familiar silhouette of most fishes. Seahorses move through the water in an almost upright posture, with the head bent ventrally and the mouth extended into a long, tubular snout. Their bodies are encased in rings of bony plates, the pelvic and caudal fins have been lost, and the tail has become a prehensi

Sleep is a biological phenomenon found in nearly all animals. However, sleep duration, architecture, and physiological characteristics can vary greatly among species and even among individuals within the same species. Why animals have evolved such diverse sleep patterns remains unclear. The interplay between sleep and sociality in wild animal groups. Shown is a sleeping troop of olive baboons（Image source：Chakravarty, P et al. (2024). Illustration by Javier Lázaro.， CC BY 4.0

Rhythmic drumming is found in every known human culture and is thought to be one of the earliest forms of musical expression to evolve. Human rhythmic drumming also displays several key characteristics, including differences among individuals and regions, as well as widespread structural features shared across musical traditions, such as non-random rhythmic organization and isochrony. Studying drumming behavior in our closest living relatives may help reveal the evolutionary

The Mediterranean planarian Schmidtea mediterranea is a highly regenerative flatworm belonging to the phylum Platyhelminthes. Its body contains a population of cells known as neoblasts, which are adult stem cells and form the foundation of planarian tissue turnover and regenerative capacity. These cells divide continuously, replenishing cells that must be replaced throughout the body and supplying new cells required for regeneration after injury. Mediterranean planarian（Image

High altitude is often associated with labored breathing and physiological strain, yet people living at high elevations generally show lower blood glucose, better glucose tolerance, and a reduced risk of diabetes. This pattern has been reported repeatedly across high-altitude populations, including residents of Tibet, Peru, Ecuador, and Nepal.

Many animals do not rely solely on instinctive behaviors. Instead, they can acquire new behaviors through observation and interaction with others. This transmission of information and behaviors through social learning, often referred to as animal culture, can enhance individual survival and improve a population's ability to adapt to environmental changes. Consequently, understanding these behaviors has important implications for biodiversity conservation. Among the various be

The Australian bare-nosed wombat (Vombatus ursinus) is able to produce small, cube-shaped fecal pellets. At first glance, this seems like a curious and almost puzzling biological trick. Yet it raises a serious mechanical question: how can a soft intestine sculpt soft fecal material into a shape with flat faces and distinct corners? Australian bare-nosed wombat（Image source：Paul J. Morris， CC BY-SA 4.0 ） Early explanations were largely speculative. Some suggested that the fece

Some animals are masters of camouflage not because they vanish, but because they stand in plain sight and persuade you not to see them. Leaves, twigs, stones, patches of necrosis—by resembling such ordinary features of their surroundings, many insects turn the environment itself into a protective disguise. One such leaf-masquerading insect is Arota festae, a katydid native to Panama, Colombia, and Suriname. It is about 2.7 centimeters long and weighs roughly 1 gram. With broa

Sleep is a form of rest that animals use to recover energy. For many species, adequate sleep is essential. When animals fail to obtain enough rest, they often show slower reactions and poorer judgment, which can negatively affect survival and performance.

When people think about long-lived animals, creatures such as sea turtles that can survive for more than a century or whales that may live for two or three hundred years often come to mind. Compared with these organisms, the average human lifespan of roughly seventy or eighty years seems relatively short. Throughout history, many individuals have searched for ways to extend life, hoping to discover a secret that could delay aging or even achieve immortality. Scientists have l

Galls produced by the gall wasp Diplolepis polita （Image source：Dean Morley， CC BY-ND 2.0 ） When walking outdoors, you may sometimes notice strange structures appearing on plant leaves. Such unusual swellings can arise from various causes. In some cases they are produced by infections from viruses, bacteria, or fungi. In other situations, organisms such as nematodes or arthropods—including insects—can also trigger the formation of bizarre structures on plants. Among these p

Human activity is currently releasing large quantities of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, pushing Earth's climate toward levels of warmth not seen for millions of years and producing long-lasting effects on ecosystems. However, given present-day emission levels, even though certain regions may eventually become unsuitable for life because of severe greenhouse warming, most parts of the planet would still remain habitable.