Today in Science: The “bone collector” caterpillar is collecting corpses

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April 25, 2025—Grammatical rules can change how the brain thinks. Plus, a caterpillar that harvests the bones of dead insects, and the first evidence of exoplanets.    —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor TODAY'S NEWS Caterpillars nicknamed the "bone collector" create protective shelling out of dead insect bones and body parts. Rubinoff lab, Entomology Section, University of Hawaii, Manoa Nicknamed the "bone collector," a newly found caterpillar in Hawaii wears the corpses of dead bugs as camouflage. | 3 min read President Trump has ordered agencies to act "urgently" to curb asthma—and at the same time directed the EPA to roll back air pollution limits. | 5 min read  To address wasteful consumption, new European Union regulations will require products like clothing, appliances and tires to last longer and be easier to recycle. | 2 min read A materials scientist explains how the 90,000 tons of nuclear waste is stored at more than 100 sites in 39 U.S. states. | 5 min read The first evidence for exoplanets was discovered more than 100 years ago. | 5 min read More News TOP STORIES Grammatical Brain Psycholinguists based in the Netherlands had Dutch speakers listen to audiobooks in Dutch. Unlike in English, where verbs immediately follow the subject, in Dutch verbs sometimes come near the end of a sentence. Researchers found that Dutch speakers were more likely to preemptively try and finish each sentence, as opposed to English speakers, who tended to wait and see how each part of a sentence ended.    Why this is interesting: Grammatical rules like the order of words give our brains quick, easy cues for understanding what a sentence means, says Andrea E. Martin, a linguist at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics. So it makes a lot of sense that Dutch speakers, whose language's grammar gives information about the main action near the end of a sentence, would be inclined to guess in advance how the sentence ends.   What the experts say: This doesn't necessarily mean that any one language is "better or worse" than another, says Cas W. Coopmans, a postdoctoral researcher in New York University's department of psychology, and study author. "It just happens to be suited to the language [people] are processing. So we seem to be quite flexible in that you might process one language differently from another simply because they have different properties." —Gayoung Lee, news intern   Ripley Cleghorn

PLAY NOW Did you keep up with science news this week? Test your knowledge with this week's science quiz. Also check out today's Spellements puzzle. This week, reader Howard noticed the word neoteny missing from the puzzle, which is the delay of anatomical maturation in an animal. Great word, Howard.  More Games EXPERT PERSPECTIVES Forensic genealogy screens hundreds of thousands to millions of distinct variations across a genome, a person's entire genetic map, capturing connections to their near and distant relations hidden across generations. It has helped solve cold cases and bring closure to many victims' families, and yet is misunderstood by those who say it violates data privacy laws, writes Nancy La Vigne, director of the National Institute of Justice. "When traditional methods have been exhausted, forensic genetic genealogy has been invaluable in establishing familial relationships and identifying unknown individuals. The possibilities of this promising new tool should not be overshadowed by fear and misunderstanding," she says. | 4 min read More Opinion WATCH THIS Jeffery DelViscio, Ryan Mandelbaum, Getty Images Life in urban areas can feel very disconnected from nature. Science, Quickly host Rachel Feltman accompanied naturalist and writer Ryan Mandelbaum for a walk in New York City's Prospect Park, to learn tips for encountering urban and suburban places like a naturalist and making the most out of the green space around you. MOST POPULAR STORIES OF THE WEEK This Impossible New Color Is So Rare That Only Five People Have Seen It | 4 min read The New Tornado Alley Has Been Hyperactive this Year | 2 min read NASA's Next Major Space Telescope Is Ready to Launch. Trump Wants to Kill It and Other Vital Science | 6 min read In the 2016 film Arrival, a linguist is summoned by the U.S. government to establish communications with aliens whose ships have arrived at (and hover menacingly above) Earth. As the linguist learns the language of the strange extraterrestrials, she begins thinking like them. It's an extreme portrayal of linguistic relativity, the idea that language can influence cognition or belief, but a fascinating prospect nonetheless.   Check out Arrival this weekend if you haven't already and let me know what you think (especially of the standout soundtrack): newsletters@sciam.com. See you back here on Monday.   —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor

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