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Someone at Brazil’s Butantan Institute was sorting through spiders in the collection when they spotted something that looked decorative. On a spider only a few millimeters long, there was a neat string of pale beads clinging to its body, like a miniature pearl necklace. Except it wasn’t decoration. It was parasite larvae. They called in a mite expert from Butantan Institute, Ricardo Bassini-Silva, and he immediately knew what he was looking at: mite larvae latched onto the spider and [...]

A new study shows something many scientists have long suspected but now can measure clearly from space: when large areas of the Amazon are cleared, the local climate changes. The difference isn't small. Regions with heavy deforestation are hotter, drier, and experience less frequent rainfall than nearby areas where most of the forest remains standing. The researchers used satellite data to compare parts of the Amazon with different levels of forest cover. What emerged was a consistent [...]

How safe are birds and other animals in places far from cities and toxic chemical plants? Many people assume pollution stays close to human activity, yet science keeps proving otherwise. More than sixty years ago, a book changed how the world looked at chemicals and nature. In 1962, American biologist Rachel Carson published a book called Silent Spring. The book showed how DDT, a popular pesticide at the time, caused the death of many bird species, including the bald eagle. One major [...]

If walking along a riverbank or beach feels more polluted than it once did, a new global review suggests that impression is accurate. By compiling thousands of records from the past decade, researchers concluded that 46% of the world’s aquatic environments fall into the categories “dirty” or “extremely dirty.” The result comes from a large sweep of published studies, pulling together 6,049 records of solid-waste contamination from rivers, estuaries, beaches, and mangroves [...]

Two small pterosaurs were alive and flying in what is now northeastern Brazil about 110 million years ago. Each was roughly seagull-sized, and both ended up as a meal for something much bigger. What happened next is the part that sounds unbelievable until you remember how messy nature can be. The predator later brought up what it couldn't digest – mainly the skulls – along with four fish from a later bite to eat. That regurgitated mix fossilized, sat in a museum collection for [...]

Someone at Brazil's Butantan Institute was sorting through spiders in the collection when they spotted something that looked decorative. On a spider only a few millimeters long, there was a neat string of pale beads clinging to its body, like a miniature pearl necklace. Except it wasn't decoration. It was parasite larvae. They called in a mite expert from Butantan Institute, Ricardo Bassini-Silva, and he immediately knew what he was looking at: mite larvae latched onto the spider [...]

Living past 110 sounds almost mythical, yet a small number of people reach that age while remaining mentally sharp and surprisingly independent. Scientists call them supercentenarians, and they offer rare clues about how the human body can resist aging far longer than expected. Much of what researchers know about extreme longevity comes from studies in Europe and North America. That narrow focus leaves major blind spots, especially when it comes to how genetics, immunity, and [...]

At first glance, a white jacaranda tree growing near the ocean feels out of place. Sandy coastal forests usually lack the rich soil needed by large leafy trees. Still, white jacaranda, also called caroba, manages to grow in these harsh conditions. A recent study explains how this surprising growth becomes possible. The answer lies high above the ground, hidden among tree branches. Researchers from Brazil discovered that certain plants living in treetops quietly feed the soil below. [...]

Life inside an ant nest usually appears calm and organized. Ants care for gardens made of soft layers of fungus, and many tiny microbes live around the gardens. Everything seems routine, almost like a small farm run by insects. A closer look tells a very different story, however. A fungus called Escovopsis has lived near ant farms for millions of years and carries a long history that has surprised many scientists. Fungus with a complex history Earlier work described Escovopsis as a [...]