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Find Your Fishy Metaphor
We've all used a fishy metaphor in the past, but use the wrong one and you can look pretty stupid
June 28, 2011 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Snake-Spotting Theory Brings Primate Vision into Focus
Do camouflaged predators explain why monkeys, apes and other primates evolved superior eyesight?
June 22, 2011 |
By Erin Wayman
The Giant Squid: Dragon of the Deep
After over 150 years since it was first sighted by the HMS Daedalus, the mysterious creature still eludes scientists
June 22, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
Jack Horner Explains How to Build a Dinosaur
By fiddling with the genetic toggles of birds, scientists might be able to reverse-engineer a dinosaurian creature
June 13, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
To Save a French Hamster
A European Union court has ruled that France should be doing more to protect the Great Hamster of Alsace
June 13, 2011 |
By Sarah Zielinski
The Goose That Flies Over the Himalayas
The bar-headed goose spends its winters at sea level in India and its summers in central Asia
June 01, 2011 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Swimming With Whale Sharks
Wildlife researchers and tourists are heading to a tiny Mexican village to learn about the mystery of the largest fish in the sea
June 2011 |
By Juliet Eilperin
The Secret Lives of Feral Cats
Free-roaming, unowned kitties live differently from our beloved pets
May 31, 2011 |
By Sarah Zielinski
How To Avoid Being Eaten By A Black Bear
A recent study of fatal black bear attacks shows that hungry males are the ones to really worry about
May 26, 2011 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Making the Best of Invasive Species
Garlic mustard and Asian carp can wreak havoc on their ecosystems, but do they have a future on your dinner plate?
May 25, 2011 |
By Kristin Ohlson
Black-Footed Ferrets and Other Endangered Critters
The subject of endangered species can be a depressing one, but there are also many reasons to be hopeful
May 20, 2011 |
By Sarah Zielinski
North America’s Most Endangered Animals
Snails, marmots, condors and coral reef are among the many species on the continent that are close to extinction
May 19, 2011 |
By Megan Gambino, Erin Wayman and Sarah Zielinski
Vegetation Determines Animal Migration Patterns
Scientists show that patterns in vegetation across a species' range determine whether and how it moves
May 18, 2011 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Wicked Bugs (and Spiders and Worms and Other Creepy Crawlies)
Let's face it, we don't like bugs. Sure, they do plenty of good---such as keeping their naughty brethren in check, contributing to the world of medicine, providing key roles in the food webs that are essential to healthy ecosystems---but we can't help but focus on the bad. And so does Amy Stewart i...
May 03, 2011 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Bonobos Tell Each Other Where to Find the Yummy Foods
Chimpanzees may announce with a grunt when they've found food, but bonobos also tell their compatriots when that food find is a good one, say scientists reporting in PLoS ONE.When bonobos encounter a favorite food, like kiwi, they emit a series of long barks and short peeps. If that food is, say, a...
May 02, 2011 |
By Sarah Zielinski
The Mystery of the Singing Mice
A scientist has discovered that high-pitched sounds made by the small rodents could actually be melodious songs
May 2011 |
By Rob Dunn
The Gold and Silver Beetles of Costa Rica
Imagine you're a conquistador in the 1500s. You've spent many weeks on a boat to get to Central America and many days hacking away through the jungle, dressed in hot and heavy armor, swatting at mosquitoes, desperately trying to find that fortune you were promised back home. Then you glimpse a bit ...
April 29, 2011 |
By Sarah Zielinski
What Price Do We Put on an Endangered Bird?
Last year during the Gulf oil spill, as I watched reports about dead birds and talked with scientists about what might happen to the local ecosystems, I wondered how we might punish the perpetrators of such an ecological crime. BP will eventually pay some fine, based partially on the number of wild...
April 26, 2011 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Billionaire Branson to Release Lemurs on Caribbean Island
When billionaire Richard Branson announced the construction of a luxury eco-resort in the British Virgin Islands, it sounded like a great idea. But his latest plan to populate one of those islands, Mosquito Island, with endangered lemurs, sounds more like a crazy-rich-man idea. There are about 100 ...
April 19, 2011 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Humpback Whale Songs Spread From West to East
During humpback whale breeding season (July to October in the south), males all sing the same song. That song can evolve rapidly, and before long all the whales are singing the new tune. When scientists analyzed the songs sung by whales in the southern Pacific Ocean, they made a curious discovery—t...
April 14, 2011 |
By Sarah Zielinski
