Animal Embryos Can Sense Predators and Food While Still Inside the Egg

Many animals start being aware of their surroundings while still an embryo by feeling, smelling, and seeing through their eggs.

Some embryos learn from their surroundings so they can usefully change their looks and behaviors once they're out of the egg.

Researchers wonder whether it could also help animals adapt to bigger, systemic threats like climate change.

Researchers transplanted gliding tree frog embryos into the eggs of the more successful species.

They figured out that eggs that are thick and gelatinous are much better for escaping predation than the thinner and stiffer ones.

Frogs that live on land can hatch early to avoid heatwaves, for instance, and they can also hatch early in dry spells.