Cockatoos have learned to operate drinking fountains in Australia 

From Science Magazine. One flock of cockatoos has learned how to operate human drinking fountains, performing a complex series of twists and holds to release the water into their mouths. The behavior—not seen in any other bird—has been so successful, it appears to be spreading among western Sydney’s cockatoo population, researchers report. Learn more: https://scim.ag/4uTkU6u…

Tales from an Italian crypt

From Science Magazine. Thousands buried in a 17th century Italian crypt reveal the lives of the working poor. Learn more: https://scim.ag/3PycotF CREDITS: (VIDEO PRODUCTION) M. CANTWELL/SCIENCE; (ILLUSTRATIONS) N. BURGESS/SCIENCE; (IMAGES) ARCHEOSFERA; IRCCS FOUNDATION CA’ GRANDA HOSPITAL MAGGIORE POLYCLINICLABANOF; L. BIEHLER-GOMEZ ET AL/ARCHAEOMETRY, 64:2 (2022) #Archaeology #Science #ScienceShorts

New weapons against a sexual scourge

From Science Magazine. Two new treatments for gonorrhea showed their mettle in large clinical trials in 2025, and both have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. CREDITS: (IMAGES) NIAID; RICHARD J. GREEN/SCIENCE SOURCE; SCIENCE; PHOTO LIBRARY/SCIENCE SOURCE; (VIDEO PRODUCTION) M. CANTWELL/SCIENCE #Health #Science #ScienceShorts *This video has been re-uploaded to correct a…

Mussels hold tight, but let go with ease

From Science Magazine. Mussels have strong filaments called byssal threads to help them stick to rocky surfaces with surprising strength, to withstand the crashing waves. When needed, the bivalves can also release these threads with seemingly little effort. Deeper investigation and imaging revealed that friction between cilia in the living tissue and the nonliving byssal…

Triumph of calculation helps resolve particle mystery

From Science Magazine. For decades, particle physicists have longed for something—anything—their prevailing theory, the standard model, cannot explain. Last June, perhaps the most tantalizing sign of a new mystery vanished when a long-running experiment reported that, contrary to its earlier claims, a particle called the muon was not more magnetic than the standard model predicts.…

Bees learn to dance

From Science Magazine. The honey bee waggle dance communicates information about resource location from a foraging worker to nestmates. Research in Science shows that this complex dance is, in part, learned by young bees as they observe more experienced bees. Learn more: https://scim.ag/40qMQkk CREDITS: (FOOTAGE) ERIC NERI; (MUSIC) PODINGTON BEAR; (VIDEO PRODUCTION) K. MCLEAN/SCIENCE #Bees…

How do busy bees avoid overheating from flying?

From Science Magazine. Bumble bees may look clumsy and goofy hovering above a flower, but don’t be deceived: They’re among the hot rods of the insect world and able to fly 22 kilometers per hour. Even while hovering, their powerful wing muscles generate a lot of heat. Like any high-performance vehicle, the bees have ways…

Large language models do science

From Science Magazine. When Google DeepMind unveiled its protein-structure predictor AlphaFold2 in 2020, it upended expectations for what AI could accomplish in science. Few imagined that general-purpose large language models (LLMs), trained on trillions of words and optimized simply to regurgitate humanlike text, might follow suit. That view is now shifting—tectonically—as LLMs scale up. Last…

Chimpanzee drumming may give clues to the roots of rhythm

From Science Magazine. “Drumming” allows chimpanzees to communicate across long distances. Last year, two studies showed the animals also drum to a distinct beat, which varies across chimp societies. The research suggests chimpanzees can learn and develop different rhythms, suggesting this musical ability may have evolved in our shared common ancestor. Read more: https://scim.ag/47q5EE1 FOOTAGE…

Lotions and fragrances hamper the body’s protective oxidation cloud

From Science Magazine. Personal care products such as lotion and perfume can repress the human oxidation field—a beneficial chemical microenvironment formed around the body’s surface that helps protect it from volatile organic compounds (VOCs)—Science Advances research finds. The oxidation field consists of hydroxyl radicals, which effectively neutralize VOCs. The work involving four participants identified ingredients…