Chimpanzees nursing wounds, ants performing amputations on nestmates, a growing body of research into animal self-medication suggests the natural world has been practicing medicine far longer than we have, and researchers believe it could reshape how humans discover new treatments. NPR's Short Wave podcast devoted a recent episode to the phenomenon, bringing on freelance science […] The post Animals have been treating their own injuries for decades — and scientists say humans should pay attention appeared first on American Almanac .
Chimpanzees nursing wounds, ants performing amputations on nestmates, a growing body of research into animal self-medication suggests the natural world has been practicing medicine far longer than we have, and researchers believe it could reshape how humans discover new treatments. NPR's Short Wave podcast devoted a recent episode to the phenomenon, bringing on freelance science journalist Mandy Nguyen to walk through what scientists have learned since Western researchers first started documenting the behavior in the late 1980s. The episode, published September 11, traces a line from early observations of chimpanzees at Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania to more recent discoveries, including ants that appear to amputate the injured…Open
We aren’t the only animals that like to take care of other species. A new study finds that the roots of keeping a pet may stretch deep into our primate past.
Invasive species can wreak havoc on ecosystems. A new study in Science suggests low- and middle-income countries in the Global South experience greater harms.
Invasive species can wreak havoc on ecosystems. A new study in Science suggests low- and middle-income countries in the Global South experience greater harms.Open
The larvae of a beetle native to South and Central America, the critters are the perfect solution to sticky problem: How to prepare an animal skeleton for scientific use.
The larvae of a beetle native to South and Central America, the critters are the perfect solution to sticky problem: How to prepare an animal skeleton for scientific use.Open
Image: King Salmon Shivers As High Arctic Cold Persists; Europe’s Quiet Fire Season; El Niño Snow Signal Builds; Cooler Oceans; + Britain’s Grid Problem Exposed — And Then Covered Up Related: Polar Freezeover: Western Arctic [...]
Get ready for a biology lesson. Certain plants have extra sets of chromosomes. And it turns out, it's a useful trait for a species facing a dramatic event like climate change.
Get ready for a biology lesson. Certain plants have extra sets of chromosomes. And it turns out, it's a useful trait for a species facing a dramatic event like climate change.Open