Gennaro Tomma

Mercury Rising - bioGraphic When Alaska’s wolves began eating sea otters, it looked like a story of adaptation. Then they started getting sick.

Loved writing this story for @biographic.bsky.social 🐺

There’s everything you would find in a mystery novel: a suspicious death, an investigation, and a final unexpected twist.

www.biographic.com/mercury-risi...

As a whale exhales snot from its blowhole, a drone collects it, providing scientists with vital information on the animal’s physical state. CREDIT: OCEAN ALLIANCE Drone collects whale snot

You know what you were missing from your life? A video of a drone collecting whale snot 🤧 youtu.be/OcPiuKUJBUA

Thanks Rosie, great working with the team! ☺️

Flying with whales: Drones are remaking marine mammal research From collecting whale snot to capturing surprising behaviors, aerial drones are giving scientists a new view of life at sea

Excited to see my first story for @knowablemag.bsky.social out today! 🐳

knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...

Who knew that whales blasted snot through their blowholes, or that drones could collect the viscous fluid and teach us so much about whales in the process? Written by @gennarotomma.bsky.social for us at @knowablemag.bsky.social -- and a very fine story it is 🧪

that’s so beautiful! congrats 🦉

Why Rome’s dolphins are fighting each other Dolphins have lived near Rome for at least 2,000 years. Scientists fear for their future.

Before I started working on this story, I had no idea that there were dolphins living just outside Rome. Well, turns out there are hundreds of them—and they are not doing well.

www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/arti...

Ancient Poems Reveal the History of the Endangered Yangtze Porpoise Mentions of the critically endangered Yangtze finless porpoise in ancient Chinese poetry have revealed missing information about the habitat of the world’s only freshwater porpoise

To figure out the tributaries and other spots where Yangtze finless porpoises formerly lived, researchers turned to ancient poetry (by @gennarotomma.bsky.social) 🧪

(Look at that cute faaaaace.)

Will fireflies light up summer skies? Here's why they're fading Scientists suspect many species are in decline—but there are still unanswered questions and a lot of hope. Here's when and where you can still spot them.

Loved writing this story for NatGeo about the present and future of fireflies around the world 🌍

www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/arti...

No worries!! Glad you liked this story :)

Thanks! 😊

Why These Tropical Trees Love a Lightning Strike One species of tropical tree seems not only to survive lightning strikes but also to thrive because of them

*lightning strikes*
Most living things: No thank you!
These tropical trees: Yes, please!
🧪

(by @gennarotomma.bsky.social)

Elephants hate bees – here's why that's good news for Kenyan farmers In Kenya, farmers are turning bees into unexpected helpers to keep elephants off their crops

Can bees help mitigate the escalating human-elephant conflict around the world? I tried to answer this question in my first story for the BBC, speaking with experts, scientists and people working and living at the frontline of the conflict.

www.bbc.co.uk/future/artic...

If you want to take a look at more of the articles I wrote, here's my website: gennarotomma.it

These fish can spot their favorite divers (the ones with snacks)—here's how For years, scientists felt like the fish they were watching watched them back. A new study suggests they can recognize a diver's outfit.

Can fish tell us apart? Well… Maybe?

www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/arti...

Mouse-to-Mouse Resuscitation: Rodents Try to Revive Unonscious Buddies Three studies show that a mouse will try to rouse an unconscious companion

Yes, you read that right. Three studies have found that mice might be able to provide something akin to first aid to their unconscious peers. And some researchers say it might even teach us something about ourselves. But others are more skeptical.

www.scientificamerican.com/article/mous...

Plastic waste in bird nests can act like a tiny time capsule Expiration dates help biologists trace the building of some avian homes back in history—in one case to 1991

If you want to know how old a bird nest is... well, just take a look at the expiration dates on the plastic garbage inside. Sometimes, they might take you 30 years back in time.

www.science.org/content/arti...

The butts of these blowfly larvae mimic termite faces The young of a mysterious blowfly species look — and smell — like the termites they hide among.

If you are a termite, you might want to watch out for impostors. They could have a butt that looks exactly like your face.

www.sciencenews.org/article/butt...