How do wombats poop cubes? Scientists get to the bottom of the mystery
Summary
Scientists have discovered how wombats produce cube-shaped feces, solving a long-standing mystery about the biological mechanism behind their unique digestive process.
Similar Articles
Did poop enable the evolution of complex animals?
A new study suggests that the advent of fecal pellets during the Cambrian period supplied essential nutrients to deeper ocean waters, potentially supporting the diversification and increased biomass of complex animal life.
How the 'fecal revolution' changed Earth's ecosystems
The article explains how the 'fecal revolution'—the evolution of feces as a nutrient source—transformed Earth's ecosystems over geological time.
Why worms (and microbes) are catching on as a manure pollution solution
A California dairy farm adopts vermifiltration, a low-tech method using worms and microbes to reduce methane and water pollution from manure, as part of a broader push to address livestock emissions.
How snails engineer their slime
Researchers analyzed five types of snail mucus, finding that collagen IV forms the structural base while protein content and amorphous calcium carbonate tune each mucus's mechanical properties, including defensive sticky and bubbly secretions.
Single Dose of Frog-Derived Gut Bacterium Eradicates 100% of Tumors in Mice
A new peer-reviewed study published in Gut Microbes found that a single intravenous dose of the frog-derived gut bacterium Ewingella americana completely eradicated tumors in 100% of mice with colorectal cancer, outperforming chemotherapy and immune checkpoint blockade while showing no toxicity.