Biodiversity: How a rodent’s fear of big cats shapes a Central American rainforest

As rodents called agoutis avoid areas where ocelots prowl, they spread fewer of the palm seeds they eat, which could lead to a cascade of changes in biodiversity throughout Panama’s forests Life 8 March 2022 By Jake Buehler An agouti gnawing on a palm seed Steven Paton A game of cat and mouse is playing … Read more

Ukrainian Scientists Fear for their Lives and Future Amid Russian Threat

As Ukraine braces for the possibility of an imminent invasion by Russia, several Ukrainian scientists have told Nature that they and their colleagues are taking measures to protect themselves and their work, including gathering items for self-defence and preparing to flee. The escalating tensions come eight years after a revolution that pushed Ukraine to cut ties with Russia—including … Read more

The Fear Index review: A psychological thriller with a dash of AI

When a wealthy technology entrepreneur invents an AI-driven system capable of predicting how human fear affects the world’s financial markets, nothing turns out quite as he planned Humans 9 February 2022 By Linda Marric Alex Hoffman (Josh Hartnett) creates an AI-based system to monetise fear in The Fear Index Sky The Fear Index David Caffrey … Read more

Fear of predators means sparrows struggle to raise chicks to adulthood

Sparrows on a collection of Canadian islands change their behaviour when they fear predators are nearby, and an experiment shows this reduces their ability to raise their offspring to adulthood Life 7 February 2022 By Luke Taylor Song sparrow (Melospiza melodia) in British Columbia, Canada Jess Findlay/BIA/Minden/Naturepl.com The fear of predators alone is enough to … Read more

Robots: Mechanical fish scares invasive species so badly it cannot breed

Eastern mosquitofish, a problem invasive species, can be prevented from reproducing using a robot fish that they find scary Technology 16 December 2021 By Matthew Sparkes A robotic fish (top) that mimics the natural predator of mosquitofish (bottom right) Giovanni Polverino Robotic fish might help solve an ecological problem by scaring an invasive fish species … Read more

Animal behaviour: Plumage colour predicts whether turkeys are bold or fearful

Domesticated turkeys in Nigeria come in a variety of colours, and those with lavender-coloured feathers are more fearful than black-feathered birds Life 10 December 2021 By Christa Lesté-Lasserre A domestic turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) with dark plumage Graham Prentice/Alamy The feather colours of certain kinds of turkeys can predict how they cope with life on the … Read more