Tool use isn’t unique to humans. Chimpanzees use sticks as tools. Dolphins, crows, and elephants are known for their tool-use abilities, too. Now a report in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on November 8, 2024, highlights elephants’ remarkable skill in using a hose as a flexible shower head. As an unexpected bonus, researchers say they also have evidence that a fellow elephant knows how to turn the water off, perhaps as a kind of “prank.”

Researchers at UC San Diego identify a key pathway leading to neurodegeneration in early stages of ALS, hinting at the potential for short-circuiting the progression of the fatal disease if diagnosed early.

Osaka Metropolitan University researchers have discovered that the combination of green algae and yeast enhances the efficiency of wastewater treatment.

Facebook and Instagram can boost wildlife conservation efforts through public awareness and engagement, according to a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Communication.

A new University of Maryland study reveals that two strains of pathogenic fungi unexpectedly divide insect victims amongst themselves rather than aggressively compete for resources.

Reconstruction of historical seasonal influenza patterns and individual lifetime infection histories in humans based on antibody profiles