New Atlas

Biology Audio available

Hermit crabs evolved long members to copulate from the comfort of home

Nick Lavars January 21, 2019

In a new paper titled “Private parts for private property,” a curious Dartmouth College biologist describes an evolutionary phenomenon through which a famously staunch home-owner of the crustacean world is able to protect its living quarters.

New research suggests that the longer hermit crabs spend modifying their shells, the longer their penises ...

Robotics Audio available

Robotic fossil shows off the swagger of ancient animals

Michael Irving January 16, 2019

It can be hard to picture a living creature from dusty bones and old footprints, but now that might require a little less imagination. Researchers at EPFL and the Humboldt University of Berlin have built a robot to figure out just how a 300-million year-old ancestor of ours might have moved around.

The OroBOT is a robotic version of a 300-million-year-old animal called Orobates pabsti that was designed ...

Science Audio available

Octopuses on ecstasy and the mummy juice conspiracy: The weirdest science stories of 2018

Rich Haridy December 27, 2018

Science is amazing, but sometimes scientists do get a little niche in their studies. Here is a list of the weirdest science stories we came across this year, from twerking robots to bizarre snail-to-snail memory transference and a fountain-of-youth sarcophagus conspiracy that sums up 2018.

New Atlas looks back at some of the weirder stories from the world of science in ...

Biology Audio available

Rare species of Dracula ant snaps up record for world's fastest animal movement

Michael Irving December 12, 2018

Mystrium camillae, a rare species of Dracula ant found in Southeast Asia and Australia, has now snapped up the crown for fastest animal movement on record, clicking its mandibles at blistering speeds that can stun prey.

A rare species of Dracula ant, known as Mystrium camillae, has snapped up the record for ...

Medical Audio available

Successful transplantation of pig hearts into baboons bring human trials a step closer

Rich Haridy December 5, 2018

A new study has reported the first successful long-term survival of baboons transplanted with genetically modified pig hearts. The research is a leap forward in the quest to achieve cross-species organ transplantation, and gives hope to the many humans on waiting lists for donor organs.

One of the surgeons working on the new research suggests we could be as little as ...

Science Audio available

Ancient elephant-sized mammal ancestor gave dinosaurs a run for their money

Michael Irving November 22, 2018

While dinosaurs were the biggest land animals ever, mammals were mostly rat-sized critters running around underfoot. But now palaeontologists have described a mammal ancestor from the Triassic Period that grew to the size of an elephant, giving those early dinosaurs a run for their money.

An artist's reconstruction of Lisowicia bojani, an elephant-sized ancestor of mammals that lived during the Triassic

Science

Sparrow-sized raptors left the smallest dinosaur footprints ever found

Michael Irving November 19, 2018

Most of the records that dinosaurs break are in the “world’s largest” category. But now palaeontologists have discovered the smallest dinosaur tracks ever found, which were made by a previously-unknown species of raptor the size of a sparrow.

A recreation of Dromaeosauriformipes rarus, the tiny new raptor species that's thought to be responsible for ...

Biology Audio available

The mystery of how, and why, wombats produce cubic poop

Rich Haridy November 18, 2018

Wombat poo has mystified scientists for years. The shy marsupial is unique for being the only animal in the world to produce cubic poo. A team of researchers has finally uncovered exactly how this quiet animal produces its square feces, and the discovery could lead to novel manufacturing techniques.

The wombat is the only animal in the world to produce square-shaped poop

Environment

WWF report reveals a 60% decline in wildlife populations since 1970

Nick Lavars October 29, 2018

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has released its latest Living Planet Report, an assessment of the health of our planet, and paints a rather grim picture of the damage caused by humanity’s growing footprint on Earth.

A new WWF report has painted a grim picture of the impact human activity is having ...

Digital Cameras

Thrilling natural wonders in the 54th Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards

Rich Haridy October 17, 2018

In its 54th year, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition is the world’s longest running nature photography competition. This year’s winning image is an extraordinary picture of two golden snub-nosed monkeys in central China.

The Golden Couple by Marsel van Oosten, The Netherlands, Grand Title Winner 2018. A male Qinling ...