103 Items Tagged

Biology

By Air, Land, or Sea, Tiny Microbes Transform Our World

They often get a bad rap, but bacteria prevent erosion, undergird ecosystems, and make artificial snow.

Susanne Wedlich March 7, 2023

A Cougar Swam Puget Sound, Making a Splash Among Scientists

The young male known as M161 kitty-paddled his way through chilly waters full of orcas, raising questions about the animals' potential range.

Ashley Stimpson March 7, 2023

How a Lone Researcher Faced Down Millions of Army Ants on the March in Ecuador

Renowned entomologist Frank Nischk remembers when the determined insects tried to invade a field station.

Frank Nischk March 1, 2023

In the World of Animal Courtship, These Males Go to Extremes

For some species, mating season means detachable penises, urine-based perfumes, and ear-splitting declarations of love.

Ashley Stimpson February 9, 2023

Studying Australia's Feisty Northern Quolls Requires Beef Chum and Backpacks

Scientists fitted the famously bitey marsupials with tiny accelerometers to learn their secrets.

Gemma Tarlach February 8, 2023

How the Enchanting, Elusive Pink Fairy Armadillo Became One Scientist's Obsession

A conservation biologist in Argentina once hosted one of the animals in her living room, but finding them in the wild has proven far more difficult.

James Hall January 26, 2023

Podcast: Rae Wynn-Grant and the Bear

A wildlife ecologist specializing in large carnivores unfolds a mystery for listeners.

The Podcast Team January 26, 2023

Falmouth, Massachusetts

Rachel Carson Memorial

A monument to the groundbreaking environmentalist sits near the place where she first experienced the sea.

Revisiting the Weird and Wonderful Nature of 2022

This year, we met creatures (and other living things) great and small, from the world’s largest organism to microscopic parasites.

Gemma Tarlach December 30, 2022

Hawai'i Tackles Invasive Little Fire Ants With Vigilance, Slingshots, and Gooey 'Sputter'

Across the archipelago, scientists and citizens are uniting against the tiny terrors, deploying an arsenal of creative weapons.

Ashley Stimpson December 14, 2022

Iowa’s Ancient Apex Predator Was the ‘T. rex’ of Its Day

The monstrous menace known as Whatcheeria hints that our distant ancestors may have been more like us than we thought.

Gemma Tarlach December 2, 2022

Real Zombies and Body Snatchers Live Among Us

A creepy form of parasitism is one of evolution's favorite strategies, and scientists are starting to figure out how it works.

Gemma Tarlach October 20, 2022

How Vietnam’s Ancient Whale Temples Are Helping Science

For centuries, hundreds of shrines have preserved crucial information about the marine mammals' diversity and distribution.

Anne Pinto-Rodrigues September 19, 2022

Decoding the Mystery of Seagrass Fairy Circles

Whether you call them gaps, rings, or fairy circles, these unexpected formations in seagrass beds are keeping scientists guessing.

Richard Pallardy August 22, 2022

How a High School Teacher Changed Early 20th-Century Insect Science

Systemic racism kept him from a position in higher education—but it didn't stop Charles Henry Turner from rewriting our understanding of bees, ants, and cockroaches.

Edward D. Melillo August 15, 2022

How The Thames, Once a 'Zombie River,' Was Brought Back to Life

Sharks, beavers, and humans are all returning to London's iconic waterway thanks to decades of restoration work.

Mia Jackson August 8, 2022

Why the Echidna is Australia's Most Delightfully Different Mammal

The evolutionary marvel mates in love trains, can swim in the ocean, and even uses jazz hands as a defensive tactic.

Jack Ashby August 4, 2022

The Next Generation of a Rare Frog Captured in a Poetic Portrait

Embryos of one of the world's most unusual amphibians become art in the eyes of a biologist and wildlife photographer.

Gemma Tarlach August 2, 2022