Play is a vital part of animal behavior, helping to form social structures and bonds, develop cognitive function and enhance physical abilities. Now, it's believed whale play with seaweed to scrub off dead skin cells and parasites as they migrate.

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A new study has identified rare genetic variants associated with male pattern hair loss. In addition to increasing our understanding of the condition, the findings may pave the way for personalized therapies.

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Scientists have successfully extracted RNA from an extinct species for the first time. This was achieved in the thylacine, a species of carnivorous marsupial that roamed Australia until a century ago – and may again one day, if current plans bear fruit.

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Almost 200 years on from when Charles Darwin observed his Galapagos Islands finches, which became the emblems of his theory of evolution, birds in the region are again in the news for what many scientists warn could be the source of the next pandemic.

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Believe it or not, male sexual desire actually begins in the brain. Scientists have found the neural circuit that triggers mating behaviors and the ensuing pleasure and reward feedback in mice. They hope it can lead to new drugs to treat dysfunction.

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While water lilies are perhaps most famous for starring in impressionist artist Claude Monet’s work, they may also have a molecular secret weapon that could help in our fight against deadly fungal infections, which are becoming increasingly worse.

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In a twist on using animals as biological control, a method that in the past has often had disastrous outcomes for native wildlife, scientists have successfully trained native bush rats to actively seek out a new food source they’ve never seen before.

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By decoding a genetic process responsible for asexual reproduction, researchers induced virgin births for the first time in a normally sexual fruit fly species. It was then discovered that the trait was passed down to all of the flies' daughters.

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Although we could, most of us don’t want to eat the same food for every meal. Now researchers have found it's the same for African elephants, whose diverse and individualistic food selection shows they're incredibly discerning at the dinner table.

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CRISPR-Cas9 is the household name of genetic engineering tools, but there might be other, better ways. MIT scientists have now demonstrated an alternative called Fanzor, which is naturally found in animals so could be a better fit for human use.

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