An interdisciplinary team of researchers has documented the widespread use of seal skins in Romanesque bookbindings of manuscripts produced between the 12th and 13th centuries in Cistercian monasteries in France, the United Kingdom, and Belgium. The study, led by Élodie Lévêque and published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, combines archaeology, protein analysis, and […]
Animals
Posted inScience, Travel
The Enigmatic Origin of the Wild Horses of the Namib Desert, the Most Isolated in the World
Among Africa’s characteristic and diverse fauna, the genus Equus—which includes zebras, donkeys, and horses—stands out for its rarity. However, the latter is not truly native, at least not in sub-Saharan Africa; it was introduced by humans at different times depending on the location. In Ethiopia, where half of the continent’s equine population is concentrated, there […]
Posted inScience
Narwhals Recorded for the First Time Using Their Long Spiral Tusk to Hunt, Explore, and Play
The narwhal (Monodon monoceros), one of the most emblematic species of the Arctic, has been a source of myths and legends for centuries, inspiring tales of marine unicorns thanks to its long and enigmatic spiral tusk. Despite its fame, the behavior of these cetaceans remains largely unknown, particularly regarding the use of their distinctive tusk. […]
Posted inGeography
The Incredible Wrangel Island: The Place Where Mammoths Survived Until 2000 BC
Located in the Arctic Ocean, between the Chukchi Sea and the East Siberian Sea, Wrangel Island is a 7,600 km² enclave, equivalent in size to Crete. It is part of Russia’s Chukotka Autonomous District and has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004 due to its unique biodiversity and historical significance. The […]
Posted inScience
Beyond Cute: California Squirrels Now Hunt and Eat Small Rodents
When picturing a ground squirrel, it’s common to imagine a creature stuffing its cheeks with nuts or seeds. However, a groundbreaking study has revealed an unexpected facet of California ground squirrels’ behavior: these rodents are active hunters that prey on small mammals like voles. This discovery, led by researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire […]
Posted inScience
Fossil Remains of the Oldest Mammal Ancestor in the World Found in Mallorca, Spain
An international team of paleontologists, led by the Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP-CERCA) and the Museu Balear de Ciències Naturals (MUCBO | MBCN), has made a discovery that rewrites part of evolutionary history: the fossil remains of the oldest known gorgonopsian. This animal, which lived between 270 and 280 million years ago, represents […]
Posted inArchaeology
An Ancient Floor Paved with Animal Bones Found in a Building in Alkmaar, Netherlands
In the historic center of Alkmaar in the Netherlands, a team of municipal archaeologists made an extraordinary discovery during the renovation of a building on Achterdam Street: a section of an ancient floor partially composed of animal bones. These types of findings are extremely rare and, to date, have only been documented in the North […]
Posted inScience
Wolves Observed Feeding on Flower Nectar for the First Time
A recent study on the feeding behavior of the Ethiopian wolf, a critically endangered species, has documented an unusual interaction between this species and the Kniphofia foliosa plant. This research was conducted by the Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Program (EWCP), a joint initiative between the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) at the University of Oxford, the […]
Posted inScience
In bees, ants, and wasps, males hatch from unfertilized eggs and females from those that have been fertilized, and it is the queen who decides
In the vast realm of insects, certain beetles, mites, and other insects—including bees, ants, and wasps—use a unique system of sex determination known as haplodiploidy. In this system, the sexual destiny of each individual is determined at the time the egg is laid and hinges on a simple but crucial event: fertilization. Bees, ants, and […]
Posted inArchaeology, Science
A Fossil Found in Utah Reveals the Origin of the Earth’s First Vertebrates
The history of life on Earth dates back more than 500 million years, when complex-structured organisms emerged during the Cambrian period. A recent discovery in the western Utah desert sheds light on this crucial period in the evolution of vertebrates, the group that includes all animals with a backbone. In a geological area known for […]
