A scarab. Photo by bloomgal.
- Pretty sure that violates the five second rule. Some well-preserved specimens suggest that wooly mammoths ate their own dung, at least occasionally. (Brian Switek)
- You rock, rocks. A newly discovered Burgess Shale outcrop is already yielding freaky new Cambrian Explosion-era fossils. (Wired Science)
- Not versed in the social graces. A study of domesticated wolves finds that they’re much slower than domestic dogs to look for guidance from humans. (The Thoughtful Animal)
- Afraid you’ve picked up bed bugs during fieldwork? Try baking your clothes in your car. Seriously. (dechronization)
- How is a scarab like a mantis shrimp? Scarabs might also be able to see circularly polarized light. (Arthropoda)
- So a sense of humor and good conversation does help? Male house finches can compensate for less-attractive plumage by expanding their social circle. (A Scientific Nature)
- I know you’re out there. I can smell you eating. Predators can detect the chemical interaction of insect herbivores’ saliva and plant compounds. (Bioblog, original article in Science [$a])
- In which a tenured faculty member is literally worse than some baboons. Sexual coercion—and lack thereof—in our evolutionary relatives illuminates a sadly human case study. (The Primate Diaries in Exile)
And now, via Everyday Biology, They Might be Giants on photosynthesis, with a chorus of anthropomorphic insects.