The Latest Breaking News from Biology Letters

After Hearing Ape Laughter, Orangutans Favored One Treat Hiding Spot Though Both Held Equal Rewards

Six zoo orangutans heard laughter before learning where treats were hidden, then favored that spot later. The bias matched the pull of a tripled reward.

Medical Daily · Oct 25

Sea Otters Use Rocks as Tools, What That Reveals About Mammalian Intelligence and Cognition

The Rock in the ArmpitBefore a sea otter dives for a clam, it often tucks a flat stone under its forearm, a pocket it keeps specifically for this purpose. On the surface, it places the stone on its chest, holds the shellfish with both paws, and hammers until the shell…

Times Life · Jul 16

6,200 meters under the Pacific Ocean: Scientists open black ‘eggs’ and make a shocking discovery

The record for deep-sea biology has been rewritten by a Japanese Research group. During a sampling of the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench, located in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, researchers from Hokkaido University sampled unusual leathery black cocoons attached to rock samples at a depth of 6200 meters.

The Times of India · Mar 23

Dogs can remember names of toys years after not seeing them, study shows

Research into canine cognition suggests some pets store object names in long-term memory

The Guardian - UK · Sep 3, 2024

Crocodile ‘virgin' birth isn’t a miracle

Parthenogenesis is a survival strategy that doesn't work

Salon · Jun 10, 2023

First crocodile virgin birth recorded

The first virgin birth by a crocodile has been reported by a reptile park in Costa Rica. An 18-year-old crocodile laid an egg containing a fully formed foetus, despite having been housed alone for 16 years and never mating. The Royal Society, in its journal Biology Letters, said this is…

The Week · Jun 7, 2023