New Scientist - Life

1. Scientists have only just figured out how cats purr
   The low-pitched sound of purring is unusual for an animal with short vocal folds, but cats have other structures in their larynx that enable their contented rumbling
2. Beetles raise their young in trash dumps left behind by army ants
   Breeding beetles belonging to dozens of species are attracted to the piles of food waste left behind by raiding army ants
3. We’ve just realised that a tiny West African crocodile can moo
   Audio recordings reveal that the African dwarf crocodile moos like a cow – and listening out for its calls could help biologists track the species in the wild
4. Male butterflies plug attractive females’ genitals to stop them mating
   Some male butterflies insert a stopper into their mate’s reproductive tract – and they use bigger, more effective plugs to stop rivals from mating with females that have a better chance of survival
5. Alan Turing mathematically predicted the colour of lizard scales
   Alan Turing, the father of modern computer science, once put his mind to the subject of predicting colourful lizard scales – and we now know he was successful
6. Neuron time-lapse wins 2023 Nikon Small World video competition
   A 48-hour time-lapse of neurons in the central nervous system of a chick embryo has won the Nikon Small World in Motion video competition
7. We finally know what makes orange carrots orange
   Three genes are turned off to make carrots produce high levels of alpha and beta-carotene, which make them a rich source of vitamin A and give them their orange hue
8. Elusive Australian bat sometimes snacks on other bats
   Australia’s greater broad-nosed bat was believed to mostly eat beetles and other insects, but hairs found in its droppings suggest it also feasts on other bats
9. Remarkable images show the intricacy and beauty of common plants
   Familiar plants are revealed in exquisite, microscopic detail in these shots from biologist Jan Martinek
10. Ancient trilobite stuffed itself with food almost to bursting point
    A trilobite with gut contents still preserved is the first of its kind ever to be found, and shows the woodlouse-like animal had a voracious appetite