A comparative study across arthropods finds that sperm cooperation is far more widespread and evolutionarily recurrent than previously assumed.

06-Aug-2026

A game theory model examines how collective intelligence can arise when each individual observes only one part of a complex environment.

06-Aug-2026

Observations from Mexico’s Gulf of California document orcas cooperating to dismantle large sharp-tail sunfish. One whale stabilised the prey while another accelerated into it, requiring precise positioning, timing and apparent coordination between participants. Researchers are considering several interpretations, including food processing, play, social bonding and adults demonstrating techniques to juveniles. Similar behaviours elsewhere show that orca groups can develop locally distinctive, socially transmitted methods for handling prey, although more observations are needed to establish how widespread this particular tactic is.

06-Aug-2026

Groups of American cockroaches can continue occupying a shelter after environmental cues change, even though isolated individuals quickly move elsewhere.

06-Aug-2026

Ultra-weak ‘biophotons’ might be used to diagnose disease, or could even represent a new signalling mechanism in cells.

02-Aug-2026

In the previous article, we saw that bacteria may encounter several overlapping signals. Different messages can indicate neighbours, competitors, changing conditions or competing courses of action.

02-Aug-2026

Long before a distant herd comes into view, an elephant likely already knows it is coming, thanks to silent messages sent through the ground.

01-Aug-2026

Female Megalopta sweat bees must choose whether to remain as helpers in their mother’s nest or leave to reproduce independently.

31-Jul-2026

A minimal wake-vortex model explains how a bird following behind and to the side of another can reduce the mechanical power needed for flight by about 11 percent. The leading bird’s oscillating wake reduces the follower’s need to generate thrust, allowing it to flap through a much smaller vertical range. The work converts formation flight from a broad observation into a specific local interaction: position relative to one neighbour changes the energy required by the following agent.

31-Jul-2026

Kagoshima University researchers identified methyl benzoate as an airborne plant-defence signal whose release rises around dusk. Plants receiving the compound activate defence-related genes through NPR1, a central regulator of plant immunity, using a response pattern distinct from the better-known signal methyl salicylate. The finding adds a time-sensitive chemical channel to plant-to-plant communication: neighbouring plants can receive an environmental warning and prepare defensive responses before encountering the threat directly.

31-Jul-2026