Braidee Foote, University of Tennessee Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com. Why do cats’ eyes glow in the dark? Chloe, age 10, Barkhamsted, Connecticut Cats and many other animals, including mostRead More →
Shelby A. Ryan, University of Newcastle y Ryan R. Witt, University of Newcastle Why do sloths go slow? Nina, Sydney, aged 5 You’re right, sloths do move very slowly! Sloths live in tropical forests in South and Central America, and they actually move so slowly that algae grows on theirRead More →
William Ausich, The Ohio State University Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com. Would it really be possible to get the DNA of dinosaurs and then recreate them? – Lucie R., ageRead More →
Adam Taylor, Lancaster University As humans, we may feel rather lucky about our evolutionary lot. We live longer than many other animals, and lifespans continue to increase thanks to better diets, advances in medicine and improved public health. But our quest to beat ageing and the diseases that come withRead More →
Matt Parker, University of Portsmouth You’ve probably heard that fish have a three-second memory, or that they’re incapable of feeling pain. Neither of these statements is true, but it’s telling that these misconceptions don’t crop up for other vertebrates. Perhaps it’s because fish appear so different from us. They don’tRead More →
A new study shows that the body size of the iconic gigantic or megatooth shark, about 15 meters (50 feet) in length, is indeed anomalously large compared to body sizes of its relatives. Formally called Otodus megalodon, the fossil shark that lived nearly worldwide roughly 15-3.6 million years ago isRead More →
The blue whale might be one of the most enigmatic creatures on the planet, but the true megastars of the diving world are Cuvier’s beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris). They are capable of reaching depths of almost 3000 m, and calculations suggested that these relatively diminutive whales should only remain submergedRead More →
The radioactive legacy of the arms race solves a mystery about the world’s largest fish Atomic bomb tests conducted during the Cold War have helped scientists for the first time correctly determine the age of whale sharks. The discovery, published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science, will help ensure theRead More →
Oxygen is the most abundant element on the Earth’s surface and is critical for chemical reactions that keep the body alive, including the reactions that produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP) (a complex organic chemical that provides energy to drive many processes in living cells). Nearly all of the oxygen found on Earth todayRead More →
Which one is the deadliest animal to humans on Earth? The world’s most dangerous animal is not what you might expect. Despite how terrifying and frightening can be, attacks by lions and sharks on humans are quite rare. Actually, on average, lions kill 250 people every year and around 40Read More →
