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Chemistry

Plastic can be programmed to have a lifespan of days, months or years

Inspired by natural polymers like DNA, chemists have devised a way to engineer plastic so it breaks down when it is no longer needed, rather than polluting the environment

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Space

Supermassive dark matter stars may be lurking in the early universe

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Life

Origin story of domestic cats rewritten by genetic analysis

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Physics

Physicists have worked out a universal law for how objects shatter

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Environment

Emergency response needed to prevent climate breakdown, warn experts

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Humans

Warming and droughts led to collapse of the Indus Valley Civilisation

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Life

Deadly fungus makes sick frogs jump far, possibly to find mates

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Health

Monthly injection could replace daily steroid pills for severe asthma

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Humans

Easter Island statues may have been built by small independent groups

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**VIDEO AVAILABLE: CONTACT INFO@COVERMG.COM TO RECEIVE** A conservation worker in New Zealand has recorded an exceptionally rare sighting of a deep pink female robust grasshopper (Sigaus robustus), spotted sitting among grey river stones in South Island????????s Mackenzie Basin. The conservationist, Jen Schori has spent years studying the species but had never seen a pink one before. ???????I????????ve been studying these amazing creatures for years,??????? she said. ???????They are usually grey or brown coloured like river stones. I????????d heard rumours about a pink one but never seen one myself. It was so exciting. ???????Pink grasshoppers are exceptionally rare. It????????s likely caused by a genetic mutation called erythrism which results in an over production of red pigment and less of the usual natural pigment that the species has,??????? Jen says. The robust grasshopper is New Zealand's largest lowland grasshopper and is found only along the braided river margins of the Mackenzie Basin ???????? a highly specialised habitat of stones and boulders. The species typically appears in various shades of grey and rusty brown, blending into its surroundings. It is classed as nationally endangered and threatened by predators including hedgehogs, cats and birds. ???????These grasshoppers are so unique. They look almost prehistoric. They can jump fairly well but are renowned for their clumsy landings. They????????re also very vulnerable. The pink one will unfortunately stand out even more to predators which is why this sighting is so special.??????? In 2018, with funding from Te Manahuna Aoraki (TMA), a predator-exclusion fence was installed around a portion of grasshopper habitat in the Mackenzie Basin. It is believed to be the world????????s first exclusion fence designed specifically to protect insects and improve understanding of their ecology. Jen adds that the pink grasshopper was found outside the fenced area and will have to survive on her own. ???????

Exceptionally rare pink grasshopper spotted in New Zealand

The robust grasshopper (Sigaus robustus), native to New Zealand's Mackenzie basin, is usually grey or brown in colour, but a genetic mutation is thought to turn some pink

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Life

Pandas use tools to scratch thanks to a strange evolutionary quirk

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Humans

Ancient human foot bones shed light on how two species coexisted

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Physics

We might have just seen the first hints of dark matter

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Physics

We may need a fourth law of thermodynamics for living systems

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