Latest news stories - August 2026 - Click the links to read more
Forget the sperm race: Fertilisation may depend on teamwork
Millions of sperm do not always compete alone; some species send them into action as coordinated teams. A sweeping evolutionary study found that this cooperation is widespread among arthropods and has repeatedly emerged and vanished over hundreds of millions of years. The discovery challenges the classic “fastest sperm wins” story and could influence future fertility research and pest-control strategies.
Theory for how insect societies evolve challenged
For more than 60 years, evolutionary biologists have debated whether a unique genetic system found in ants, bees and wasps helps explain one of nature's most remarkable innovations: eusociality, a form of social organization in which colonies divide reproductive labor between queens and workers. A new study from Arizona State University challenges the idea that genetics alone is responsible.
Scientists Add Unlikely New Member to World’s Carnivorous Plants
More than 150 years after Darwin first wondered whether certain sticky-leaved Saxifraga plants might be secretly carnivorous, Kunming Institute of Botany researchers say they have finally confirmed it, though not in the species Darwin studied, but in a close relative found clinging to rock crevices high in the mountains of southwestern China.
Weight Regain After Dieting May Be Driven By Brain Biology
New research suggests the human brain is biologically programmed to defend body fat, making it difficult for many people to maintain weight loss even after successful dieting. According to an article published by The Conversation, the brain evolved to protect energy reserves during periods of food scarcity. Hunger signals increase, food cravings become stronger and the body reduces its energy expenditure in an effort to conserve fat stores.
The biology behind why dogs and cats palatability preferences differ
Cats and dogs have fundamentally different taste systems due to millions of years of evolution: cats are obligate carnivores that cannot taste sweetness but strongly prefer umami flavors found in meat, while dogs are facultative carnivores with broader taste sensitivity including the ability to taste sweet compounds.