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