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Editors' Picks

The Komodo Dragon is an All-Purpose Killing Machine

A visit to one of Indonesia’s most popular tourist destinations could be your last

VIDEO: See a Thought Move Through a Living Fish’s Brain

By using genetic modification and a florescent-sensitive probe, Japanese scientists captured a zebrafish's thought in real-time

African Dung Beetles Navigate At Night Using the Milky Way

A new study shows the tiny feces ball-rolling insects orient themselves by the stars

Science Beats

Wildlife

Page 3 of 10
Sparrow flying above wheat field

The Story of the Most Common Bird in the World

Why do we love what is rare and despise what is all around us?
March 02, 2012 | By Rob Dunn

Mountain blue bird

Why Are Some Feathers Blue?

New research into a long-puzzling feature of avian life shows there's more to color than meets the eye
March 2012 | By Helen Fields

Thomas Seeley

The Secret Life of Bees

The world's leading expert on bee behavior discovers the secrets of decision-making in a swarm
March 2012 | By Carl Zimmer

ox-eyed oreo

What You See When You Turn a Fish Inside Out

Smithsonian scientists use X-rays to classify different species, but when viewed outside the lab, the images provide stunning art
February 07, 2012 | By Megan Gambino

Paphiopedilum venustum

Nine Ways to Lure a Lover, Orchid-Style

Beauty, mystery and deceit—the Smithsonian's collection of nearly 8,000 live orchids has it all
January 18, 2012 | By Megan Gambino

raven

Wild Things: Yeti Crabs, Guppies and Ravens

Tree killers and the first beds ever round up this month in wildlife news
February 2012 | By T.A. Frail, Laura Helmuth, Joseph Stromberg, Erin Wayman And Sarah Zielinski

Orchids

The Orchid Olympics

Breeders from 19 countries put their creations to the test at the 20th World Orchid Conference in Singapore
February 2012 | By Somali Roy

Mistletoe

Mistletoe: The Evolution of a Christmas Tradition

Why does this parasitic plant remind us of romance?
December 21, 2011 | By Rob Dunn

Yellow saddle goatfish

Wild Things: Killer Whales, Spiders and Woodpeckers

Yellow saddle goatfish, mastodon ribs and more in this month’s summary of wildlife news
January 2012 | By T.A. Frail, Joseph Stromberg, Erin Wayman and Sarah Zielinski

wolverine

The Way of the Wolverine

After all but disappearing, the mammals are again being sighted in Washington's Cascade Range
January 2012 | By Eric Wagner

Vaux Swifts

The Disappearing Habitats of the Vaux’s Swifts

Chimneys may be obsolete in modern buildings, but they’re crucial habitat for the bird species on the West Coast
November 18, 2011 | By Maria Dolan

Sperm whale

The Sperm Whale's Deadly Call

Scientists have discovered that the massive mammal uses elaborate buzzes, clicks and squeaks that spell doom for the animal's prey
December 2011 | By Eric Wagner

Big Southern elephant seal bulls

Wild Things: Piranhas, Nazca Boobies, Glowing Millipedes

Elephant Seals, Neanderthal evolution and more news from the world of science
December 2011 | By T.A. Frail, Joseph Stromberg, Abigail Tucker, Erin Wayman and Sarah Zielinski

Cymothoa exigua

Top 10 Real-Life Body Snatchers

Parasites and zombies are not science fiction; they infest rats, crickets, ants, moths and other creatures, sucking the life out of them
October 24, 2011 | By Megan Gambino

Yangtze alligator

Ten Threatened and Endangered Species Used in Traditional Medicine

The demand for alternative remedies has given rise to a poaching industry that, along with other factors, has decimated animal populations
October 19, 2011 | By Joseph Stromberg and Sarah Zielinski

Black rhino in Kenya

Defending the Rhino

As demand for rhino horn soars, police and conservationists in South Africa pit technology against increasingly sophisticated poachers
November 2011 | By Richard Conniff

King Crab

Wild Things: Feathered dinosaurs, king crabs and spotted hyenas

Traveling snails, brainwashed rats and more updates from the world of wildlife
November 2011 | By T.A. Frail, Megan Gambino, Joseph Stromberg, Abigail Tucker and Sarah Zielinski

St Francis Satyrs

Who Can Identify the World's Rarest Butterfly

Two scientists are in a grim contest in the American Southeast to document some of the animal kingdom's most endangered species
October 07, 2011 | By Rob Dunn

Femal jaguar walking

The Jaguar Freeway

A bold plan for wildlife corridors that connect populations from Mexico to Argentina could mean the big cat's salvation
October 2011 | By Sharon Guynup

Tibetan bunting

A Buddhist Monk Saves One of the World's Rarest Birds

High in the Himalayas, the Tibetan bunting is getting help from a very special friend
October 2011 | By Phil McKenna

Wild Things: Wildcats, Pigeons and More...

Sea monster mamas, bat signals and opossum versus viper
October 2011 | By T.A. Frail, Joseph Stromberg, Erin Wayman and Sarah Zielinski

Coral reef

Saving Coral…Through Sperm Banks?

Marine biologist Mary Hagedorn has learned to freeze and reanimate coral cells
September 15, 2011 | By Megan Gambino

Salamander underwater

The Salamanders that Refuse to Grow Up

In a Wisconsin reservoir, these normally terrestrial animals have managed not only to survive but to thrive underwater
August 29, 2011 | By Erika Janik

Bob Rosenfield with Coopers hawks

The Hawks in Your Backyard

Biologists scale city trees to bag a surprisingly urban species, the Cooper's Hawk
August 23, 2011 | By Eric Wagner

Sea otter feasting on crab

Otters: The Picky Eaters of the Pacific

Could the California sea otters' peculiar dietary habits be impeding their resurgence?
September 2011 | By Jess Righthand

« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next »

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