Effective intergroup communication is crucial for not just the health but the very survival of a species. Pied tamarins resort to various scent markings, each serving different purposes, such as conveying territorial or reproductive information.

The study’s compelling findings revealed a direct correlation between the escalation in noise decibel levels and the frequency of scent markings. This indicates that as their vocal communication gets muffled amidst the urban noise, these primates are relying more heavily on scent markings.

— Read more in Monkeys use more scent markings to combat human noise pollution at Earth.com.

Fertilized chicken eggs can be sexed by “sniffing” volatile chemicals emitted through the shell, according to new work by researchers at the University of California, Davis, and Sensit Ventures Inc., a startup company in Davis. The work is published May 22 in PLOS ONE.

The study shows that it is feasible to sort eggs by sex, early in incubation, based on volatile organic chemicals, said Professor Cristina Davis, associate vice chancellor for interdisciplinary research and strategic initiatives at UC Davis and co-author on the paper.

— Read more in Sexing Chicken Eggs by Scent at UC Davis.

Heavy seas and a rising tide made it difficult to carry out a postmortem, but Antonio Fernández Rodríguez, head of the institute of animal health and food security at the University of Las Palmas, was determined to find out why the whale had died.

Suspecting a digestive problem, he inspected the animal’s colon – and felt something hard stuck to that part of the intestine.

— Read more in Pathologist finds €500,000 ‘floating gold’ in dead whale in Canary Islands at The Guardian.