New Scientist - Life

1. Hairy ‘orangutan pitcher plant’ discovered in Borneo
   A newly described species of giant pitcher plant is one of the biggest ever found, with leaves covered in fur the same colour as orangutans
2. The most inspiring conservation success stories in 2024
   Endangered skates and kingfishers were brought back from the brink this year and scientists found a way to protect frogs from deadly infections
3. Earliest known sabre-toothed predator hunted 270 million years ago
   The fossilised remains of an ancient carnivore provide intriguing hints about how early relatives of mammals began regulating their own body temperature
4. ‘Vampire’ hedgehog among 234 new species identified in Asia
   The Greater Mekong region of Asia hosts a wealth of rare and unstudied species – 173 new species of plants, 26 reptiles, 17 amphibians, 15 fish and three mammals were described last year. Here are six of them
5. Magic mushrooms found in Africa are a species new to science
   A fungus named Psilocybe ochraceocentrata is the closest relative of a widely cultivated psychedelic mushroom, giving clues to their evolutionary origins
6. A festival of stunning animal pictures from 2024
   The past 12 months have seen animals of all shapes, sizes and colours strut their stuff – here are just a few of the best pictures from the year
7. See the world in close-up in these intricate images of nature
   For a truly exquisite glimpse of plants and animals, check out some of the top entries and the winner of the 2024 Evident Image of the Year contest
8. Pigeons are misunderstood: These little-known facts will prove why
   They were loved by Charles Darwin, they build brilliantly bad nests and they even produce a kind of “milk”. Surely, these facts are more than enough to foster a love for the urban pigeon
9. The amazing talents of pigeons – and why we should learn to love them
   Rats of the sky? Pigeons are often the target of human ire, but there's a lot to cherish – or at least appreciate – in these scrappy survivors
10. Dogs pull harder on the leash when they wear a harness than a collar
    Dog harnesses are sometimes claimed to reduce pulling forces on the leash, but an experiment found they have the opposite effect