Urine discovered as a nutrient substitute for ants and other insects
Researchers have discovered that insects crave the urine of people, kangaroos and other animals, even more so than sugar water, for its urea content, a compound containing nitrogen which is used to build proteins. This discovery occurred when Sophie Petit, a wildlife ecologist camping on South Australia's Kangaroo Island, noticed some sugar ants scrounging around a spot in the sand where she had urinated a couple of hours earlier.
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Amazon rainforest might change from a carbon sponge to a source
A groundbreaking research led by forest ecologist Paulo Brando at the University of California, Irvine, has discovered that the spread of wildfires in the Amazon rainforest might do irreparable harm to its ability to absorb carbon dioxide, turning parts of the forest into carbon sources rather than sponges. Brando urgently recommends decreasing deforestation in the region to prevent such a drastic outcome.
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How ants find their way back home
A research team has recently shown that ants do not navigate using only their surroundings. When walking forwards, ants use a strategy called "Path integration" where they remember the feeling of twists and turns they took as well as the number of steps they are from the nest. While navigating backwards, they would drop their food and turn to look for familiar landmarks, a behavior called peeking.
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