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Groundbreaking Discovery: Researchers Document Cows Using Tools for the First Time

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In a groundbreaking study published in the latest issue of Current Biology, researchers from Vienna Veterinary University present the first experimental evidence that cows (Bos taurus) can utilize a single object as a versatile tool, adapting its use according to the task at hand. The study focused on a pet Swiss brown cow named Veronica, who learned to manipulate a deck brush to effectively scratch hard-to-reach areas of her body. Through a series of controlled trials, Veronica exhibited targeted adjustments based on the sensitivity of the body parts she aimed to scratch.

Veronica’s tool technique. Image credit: Antonio Osuna-Mascaró and Alice Auersperg, doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2025.11.059.

Veronica, a long-lived Swiss brown cow, is not raised for meat or milk. She is a beloved pet of Vitger Vigele, an organic farmer and baker who cherishes her as part of the family.

Over a decade ago, Vigele observed Veronica occasionally picking up sticks to scratch herself, sparking interest in her behavior.

According to Dr. Alice Auersperg, a cognitive biologist at Vienna University, “These findings suggest that our preconceptions about domestic animal intelligence may stem more from observational gaps than from actual cognitive limitations.”

In structured trials, Dr. Auersperg and colleague Dr. Antonio Osuna Mascaro placed deck brushes at random angles. They recorded which ends Veronica selected and the body parts she targeted.

After multiple assessments, the researchers discovered that Veronica’s choices were consistent and matched the needs of the targeted areas.

“We have demonstrated that cows can engage in genuinely flexible tool use,” stated Dr. Osuna Mascaro.

“Veronica doesn’t just use objects haphazardly.”

“She effectively employs different segments of the same tool for distinct purposes, altering her techniques based on the tool’s role and the specific body part involved.”

The study revealed that Veronica typically favors the bristles of a deck brush for scratching large, hard areas like her back. For more sensitive regions, she switches to the smooth stick end.

Moreover, her handling of the tools varies; her upper body scratching movements are broad and vigorous, while her lower body motions are slower, more deliberate, and precisely controlled.

Tool use is defined as manipulating external objects to achieve a goal through mechanical means. The study found that Veronica’s behavior fulfills this definition while demonstrating flexible and versatile tool use, utilizing different features of the same object for various functional outcomes.

Such agility in tool use is exceedingly rare, with evidence only convincingly documented in chimpanzees to date.

“Using tools on her own body represents a self-directed form of tool use, which is typically considered less complex than applying tools to external objects,” remarked Dr. Osuna Mascaro.

“Veronica faces inherent physical limitations as she depends on her mouth to manipulate tools.”

“What’s remarkable is her ability to overcome these limitations, demonstrating foresight by adjusting her grip strength and movements accordingly.”

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Antonio J. Osuna-Mascalo & Alice MI Auersperg. 2026. Flexible use of multipurpose tools by cows. Current Biology 36 (2): R44-R45; doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2025.11.059

Source: www.sci.news

Document the Struggle to Safeguard Endangered Birds in New Zealand

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Rangers aiming to install stoat traps in the KEA Basin, New Zealand

Robin Hammond/Panos Photos

A massive conservation initiative is being undertaken throughout New Zealand to eliminate invasive species, allowing various native and endangered birds to thrive.

Kiwis that live on the ground

Robin Hammond/Panos Photos

The nationwide predator eradication initiative, documented by photographer Robin Hammond, boldly aims to exterminate three invasive species introduced by humans: rats, stoats, and possums. These predators have decimated the populations of ground-nesting birds like kiwis. This ambitious plan includes the controversial aerial application of sodium fluoroacetate poison targeting these mammals (as seen in the main image).

Biodiversity Ranger Steven Cox releases a young kiwi

Robin Hammond/Panos Photos

“It’s conservation through culling,” states Hammond. “It’s a tough choice, yet inaction leads to significant losses in our bird populations.”

Efforts are also focused on ensuring kiwis and other birds are large enough to withstand mammalian predation (as shown above).

Staff releasing Takahe birds

Robin Hammond/Panos Photos

In the wild, kiwi eggs have only a 5% chance of maturing into adults. However, adult birds like the non-flying hawk (as shown above and below) have significantly better survival rates.

Conducting a final health assessment and attaching transmitters to Takahe birds

Robin Hammond/Panos Photos

Stuffed Auckland Island merganser (Mergus australis)

Robin Hammond/Panos Photos

Unfortunately, it’s already too late for certain birds, like the Merganser from Auckland Island (illustrated above). After its disappearance in 1902, it has since been confined to museum exhibits. “I’ve witnessed flocks flying around Wellington without even knowing they existed as a child,” states Hammond. “Though, you can now hear their songs, something that was not the case before.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Researchers Document Submarine Canyons in Antarctica

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Submarine canyons are vast, deep formations located on the majority of the world’s continental margins. Antarctica plays a pivotal role in marine processes that significantly influence global climate and ocean circulation. The understanding of oceanographic, climatic, geological, and ecological importance is often hindered by the limitations in Canyon data. In a recent study, researchers from University College Cork and the University of Barcelona aimed to develop the most comprehensive catalogue of Antarctic submarine canyons and gullies. They discovered 332 drainage networks consisting of 3,291 river segments, which is nearly five times the number of canyons recorded in earlier research.

This map shows a network of 332 submarine canyons on the seabed of Antarctica. Image credits: Riccardo Arosio & David Amblas, doi: 10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107608.

Submarine canyons are prevalent features found along all continental margins.

These canyons are typically V-shaped valleys with narrow, flexible morphology, beginning at the edge of the continental shelf or continental slope and extending into either the continental rise or abyssal plains.

Short channels less than 10 km in length are referred to as submarine gullies, and they are commonly found within canyon systems on continental slopes.

Submarine canyons are crucial for transporting sediments and nutrients from coastal areas to deeper waters, establishing biodiverse habitats by linking shallow and deep marine environments.

While approximately 10,000 submarine canyons exist globally, only 27% of the ocean floor is mapped at high resolution, indicating a likely higher total number of canyons.

Despite their ecological, oceanographic, and geological significance, submarine canyons are often underrepresented, especially in polar regions.

“Similar to the submarine canyons in the Arctic, those in Antarctica mirror canyons found elsewhere in the world,” stated Dr. David Amblàs, a researcher at the University of Barcelona.

“Yet, they tend to be larger and deeper due to the prolonged effects of polar ice and the considerable volume of sediment that glaciers deposit onto the continental shelf.”

For their research, the authors utilized version 2 of the International Bathymetric Chart of the Southern Ocean (IBCSO V2), the most comprehensive and detailed seabed map for the region.

They employed new high-resolution seabed data alongside semi-automated methods to identify and analyze these canyons.

Overall, they described 15 morphometric parameters that displayed notable differences between the southeastern and western canyons.

“Some of the submarine canyons we examined exceed depths of 4,000 meters,” remarked Dr. Amblàs.

“The most impressive among them is located in East Antarctica and consists of a complex, divergent canyon system.”

“It originates from multiple canyons near the edge of the continental shelf and converges into a single main channel that descends steeply into deep water.”

Dr. Ricardo Arosio from Cork University commented:

“The canyons in East Antarctica exhibit more complexity and branching patterns, forming varied canyon channel systems characterized by the often typical U-shaped cross sections.”

“This indicates a significant influence of long-term development under persistent glacial activity alongside erosion and sediment deposition processes.”

“On the contrary, West Antarctic canyons are short and steep, featuring a V-shaped cross section.”

“This morphological distinction supports the hypothesis that the East Antarctic ice sheet developed earlier and underwent a longer maturation process,” explained Dr. Amblàs.

“This was previously suggested by studies of sedimentary records but lacked explanation through large-scale seabed geomorphology.”

“Thanks to the high resolution of the new seabed measurement database—500 m per pixel, compared to 1-2 km per pixel in earlier maps—we can effectively apply semi-automated technology for canyon identification, profiling, and analysis,” Dr. Arosio stated.

“The strength of our research lies in the integration of various methods previously used but now brought together into robust and systematic protocols.”

“We’ve also developed a GIS software script that enables the calculation of numerous canyon-specific morphometric parameters with just a few clicks.”

The team’s research will be featured in the journal Marine Geology.

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Riccardo Arosio & David Amblas. 2025. Topographic measurements of the Antarctic Submarine Canyon. Marine Geology 488:107608; doi:10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107608

Source: www.sci.news

Astronomers document extraterrestrial exoplanets

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The new catalogue, created as part of the TESS-Keck survey, includes 126 strange planets outside our solar system, ranging from unusual worlds with extreme environments to those that could potentially support life as we know it.

Artist's impression of the 126 planets in the new TESS-Keck survey catalog is based on data such as planet radius, mass, density, and temperature. Question marks represent planets that need more data for full characterization. Image courtesy of W. M. Keck Observatory/Adam Makarenko.

“Relatively few known exoplanets have had both their mass and radius measured,” said Steven Kane, professor at the University of California, Riverside, and principal investigator of the TESS-Keck survey. paper Published in Astrophysical Journal Supplement.

“Combined, these measurements tell us what the planet is made of and how it formed.”

“With this information, we will be able to answer the question of where our solar system fits in the grand scheme of other planetary systems.”

Professor Kane and his colleagues analysed more than 13,000 radial velocity (RV) measurements to calculate the masses of 120 confirmed planets and six candidate planets spread across the northern sky.

“These RV measurements allow astronomers to detect and characterize these exoplanetary systems,” said astrophysicist Ian Crossfield of the University of Kansas.

“When we see a star wobbling back and forth in a regular pattern, we can infer the presence of orbiting planets and measure their masses.”

Several planets discovered in the TESS-Keck survey stand out as touchstones for improving astronomers' understanding of the diverse ways planets form and evolve.

in Related Papers In Astronomical JournalAstronomers have announced the discovery of two new planets orbiting a sun-like star.

The first is a sub-Saturnian planet with a mass and radius intermediate between Neptune and Saturn.

“There's been some debate about whether sub-Saturn planets are truly rare or whether we're just bad at finding them,” said Michelle Hill, a graduate student at the University of California, Riverside.

“So planet TOI-1386b is an important addition to this planetary group.”

TOI-1386b takes just 26 days to orbit its star, while its neighbour, a planet with a mass similar to that of Saturn, takes 227 days to orbit the same star.

in Related ArticlesThe researchers described TOI-1437b, a planet about half the size of Neptune that orbits a sun-like star every 19 days.

“Planets smaller than Neptune and larger than Earth are the most common worlds in our galaxy, but they don't exist in our solar system,” said Daria Pidhorodetka, a graduate student at the University of California, Riverside.

“With each new discovery, we are reminded of how diverse the universe is, and that our place in it may be more unique than we can understand.”

The catalog also contains detailed descriptions of planets that, unlike the Sun, orbit extremely short distances around their stars.

One is so close to the orange dwarf that it completes an orbit in less than 12 hours.

“TOI-1798c orbits its star so quickly that a year on the planet lasts less than half an Earth day,” said Alex Polansky, a graduate student at the University of Kansas.

“Because these planets are so close to their stars, they are extremely hot and receive more than 3,000 times the radiation that Earth receives from the Sun.”

“Being in this extreme environment means that the planet is likely losing any atmosphere it may have originally formed.”

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Alex S. Polanski other2024. TESS-Keck Survey. XX. Uniform RV analysis of 15 new TESS planets and all survey targets. AppJS 272, 32; Source: 10.3847/1538-4365/ad4484

Michelle L. Hill other2024. TESS-Keck Survey. XIX. Warm transiting sub-Saturn-mass and non-transiting Saturn-mass planets orbiting solar analogues. AJ 167, 151; Source: 10.3847/1538-3881/ad2765

Daria Pidhorodetka other. 2024. TESS-Keck Survey. XXII. TOI-1437 in Near-Neptune Orbit. arXiv: 2405.12448

Source: www.sci.news