Two new species of spiders have been discovered in China, and neither of them are bigger than a grain of sand. They live in the damp litter of the forest, which is why they had gone unnoticed for so long. Both species are part of the Mysmenidae family, which are somewhat poorly understood orb-weaving spiders. Mysmena wawuensis (top) measures 0.75 mm, while Trogloneta yuensis (bottom) is 1.01 mm.

This gorgeous creature is Typhochlaena costae, a species of spider recently discovered in Brazil.

Much of the debris in our oceans consists of small fragments of detritus no larger than a fingernail. These confetti-like plastic pieces act as microbial reefs – their own ecosystems – in the vast open ocean. Scientists are studying them to help better understand the predation and symbiosis in these mini ecosystems themselves and also how they are affecting the ocean and its other communities on a broader scale.

The hooded Pitohui was one of the first poisonous birds discovered. It has a toxin on its skin and feathers that can induce tingling or numbness when touched. It is a common bird in New Guinea.

1 out of every 50-100 million lobsters has split coloring. One side is typically a dark brown, while the other side is blue, orange, or red. These individuals usually exhibit traits of both males and females.

The researchers gave pregnant women a recording of several spoken variations of the made-up word "tatata" to play daily during their last trimester. When tested using EEG sensors after birth, their infants' brains recognised the words and its variations, while the control group did not.

If you’re not already acquainted, meet Mycobacterium tuberculosis – a wildly successful bacterium that has marched in lockstep with our population growth and history. The cause of tuberculosis, this bacterium is said to infect a new host every single second.

Research lead Caitlin Pepperell from University of Wisconsin-Madison remarked, "Evolutionary theory predicts that M. tuberculosis populations should be vulnerable to extinction. Yet it is obviously highly prevalent. It must have some incredibly clever strategies and tricks to hang on."

A paper published last month in PLoS Pathogens investigated 63 genomes from the bacteria and related pathogenic mycobacteria to gain insight into how natural election pressures have shaped its evolution and ...