Giant pandas love to eat bamboo, maybe they are controlled by bamboo! | Nature Trumpet

Welcome to the 78th issue of the Nature Trumpet column. In the past half month, we have collected some natural news and research worth reading:

1) Narwhal's tusks can knock fish unconscious

2) Bamboo domesticated the giant panda

3) Puppy undergoes brain surgery

4) Great apes use sex to socialize

5) Whales transport urine from south to north, becoming nature’s porters

Why do narwhals have long tusks?

Narwhals have a spiral tusk that can be up to 3 meters long, which made them the inspiration for the "unicorn". Scientists have previously speculated that their tusks may be a sexually selected feature : males display their tusks during courtship or use them to compete with other males to win the hearts of the opposite sex.

Narwhal Tusk | O'Corry-Crowe, FAU/Watt, DFO

But recently, from videos taken by drones, scientists discovered that narwhals' tusks have another useful use - hunting prey .

They found that when narwhals chase Arctic char, they use their tusks to repeatedly hit the fish sideways until they stun them and then enjoy a delicious meal. Their skills are so professional that they can not only adjust their swimming speed to get the fish just in front of their tusks, but also complete a 360° turn in 3 seconds, turn sideways in the water, and accurately hit their prey with the tip of their tusks.

Narwhals use their tusks to hunt Arctic char | References [1]

In addition to being a weapon, narwhals also use their tusks to explore and play . When they don't want to eat or encounter unfamiliar fish, narwhals will show childlike curiosity and touch the fish with their tusks, but will not try to hurt them; when the fish make obvious reactions, narwhals will even retreat. Sometimes, narwhals also use their tusks to interact with each other, but there is no aggression, but rather friendly, gentle social games.

Bamboo domesticates giant pandas

Giant pandas love to eat bamboo, probably because they have been "domesticated" by bamboo!

Giant pandas are amazing animals. Their digestive systems clearly have the characteristics of carnivores, but their main food source is bamboo. In a recently published study, scientists collected blood samples from seven giant pandas and found that there were 57 types of plant-derived microRNAs in the blood of giant pandas , most likely from bamboo.

Bamboo, yummy! | kevinmcgill / Wikimedia Commons

MicroRNA (miRNA) is a tiny piece of genetic information that can regulate gene expression and thus control various physiological processes in the body. Scientists speculate that when giant pandas eat bamboo, the bamboo's miRNA enters their bodies through the digestive system and participates in regulating genes related to the giant panda's eating habits , including neural pathways related to smell, taste and dopamine, as well as the digestive system.

No, the more you eat bamboo, the more delicious it tastes! | Manfred Werner / Wikimedia Commons

In this way, bamboo has "tamed" the giant pandas without them realizing it. The giant pandas will find bamboo more and more attractive and fully adapt to a diet based on bamboo; the miRNA from bamboo is involved in regulating the sense of smell and can also help the pandas find fresher bamboo. In addition to affecting taste, plant-derived miRNA may also be involved in regulating the immune system, giving animals stronger resistance.

Puppy Brain Surgery

Recently, a puppy underwent a special brain surgery.

Geddy, a puppy, had a tragic life. He was abandoned by his first owner when he was young, and later adopted by a new family. He finally lived a happy life, but he developed epilepsy. The veterinarian performed an MRI on the puppy's brain and found a tumor in the right frontal lobe. Based on the imaging characteristics, it was determined that it might be a glioma . Without treatment, Geddy might only have a few months left to live.

MRI images show a tumor in Geddy's brain | University of Pennsylvania

Geddy's owners wanted to do everything possible to save him, so he underwent a special brain surgery with the cooperation of veterinary and human medicine experts.

The day before the surgery, Gaddy was injected with a special dye that makes cancer cells glow under near-infrared light, making it easier for doctors to identify the boundaries of gliomas and reduce the risk of residual cancerous tissue. During the surgery, doctors combined augmented reality technology, infrared imaging, and intraoperative ultrasound for the first time , allowing them to see a hologram of the brain and build an image of the tumor in real time to confirm that the tumor was accurately removed.

Geddy successfully completed the surgery | University of Pennsylvania

Geddy became the first dog to undergo brain surgery that combined multiple cutting-edge technologies. The good news is that after 5 hours of surgery, Geddy's tumor was successfully removed , and his recovery process is going smoothly, and there is no sign of tumor regrowth.

Gliomas in dogs and humans are almost the same, and the prognosis is similar. This collaboration between veterinarians and human doctors will not only allow dogs to receive more advanced treatment options, but also feed back the experience of dog surgery to the human medical field, so that both humans and dogs can live better.

Using sex to socialize

Bonobos and chimpanzees say sex is the way to make peace after a fight

In a recently published study, scientists analyzed 1,400 hours of observations of 53 bonobos and 75 chimpanzees to study when they actually had sex. The results showed that there were two time periods when sex was more frequent: one was before eating , and the other was after a conflict with a companion .

A male chimpanzee hugs and kisses a male companion to ease tensions | Jake Brooker / Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage Trust

Before meals, limited food resources are distributed according to social status. At this time, there may be tension between companions. Bonobos and chimpanzees will have sex at this time to ease the tense social relationship . Moreover, older individuals have more social experience and are more likely to take the initiative. If there is a quarrel or fight between companions, they will reconcile through sexual behavior after the fight. Although they will also use grooming and kissing to ease the relationship, "deep communication" seems to be very effective.

The Sex-loving Bonobos | Zanna Clay / Lola ya Bonobo

The study also found that sexual behavior due to social pressure is not limited to heterosexuals . On the contrary, homosexual behavior may be more common in this case, and it is usually initiated by males with higher status. Sexual behavior also takes a variety of forms, including hands, mouth and genitals.

Human sexual behavior is not just for reproduction, it may also be for various reasons such as cultivating feelings, relieving stress, etc. Scientists believe that sexual behavior for social purposes may be a habit we inherited from the common ancestors of humans, bonobos and chimpanzees.

Whales' North-South Urinating Movement

One of the important ways whales nourish the ocean is by transferring their urine from the south to the north .

Whales are nature's porters. Previous studies have found that whales can transport nutrients vertically: they forage in the deep sea and poop on the surface, which is equivalent to moving nutrients from the seabed to the surface, which can help feed a large number of plankton. Recently, scientists have discovered that whales are also masters of nutrient transport in the horizontal direction, mainly relying on their urine.

Whales bring nutrients from the deep ocean to the surface | Charles J. Sharp / Wikimedia Commons

Whales feed in cold waters, fatten up by tons, and then migrate to warm coastal areas near the equator to mate and reproduce. These coastal areas are generally low in nitrogen and nutrients, and whales bring a lot of nitrogen - mainly from tons of urine , but also from their poop, shed skin and placentas, and their bodies when they die. It's like "composting" in these areas, so plankton grows and fish and many invertebrates get food.

Humpback whales breed in shallow coastal waters | Martin van Aswegen / NOAA

According to scientists' calculations, large whales such as right whales, gray whales and humpback whales deliver up to 4,000 tons of nitrogen and more than 45,000 tons of biomass to tropical and subtropical low-nutrient coastal areas through urine every year. They are like a huge nutrient conveyor belt, bringing nutrients from abundant places to scarce areas, benefiting countless marine life.

Since the start of industrial whaling in the 19th century, the whale population has been greatly reduced. As you can imagine, the nutrients transported by whale conveyor belts are much less than before, which will have a huge impact on the marine ecosystem. In the entire earth's circulation system, the position of whales is more important than we think.

References

[1]https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2025.1518605/full

[2]https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2025.1509698/full

[3]https://www.nature.com/articles/s41551-025-01367-y

[4]https://phys.org/news/2025-02-tiny-dog-outsized-contribution-brain.html

[5]https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.242031

[6]https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-56123-2

Author: Cat Tun

Editor: Mai Mai

Image credit: kevinmcgill / Wikimedia Commons

This article comes from GuokrNature (ID: GuokrNature)

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