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Scientific Illustrations: Your Go-To Guides for Halloween Costumes
The details are what separate a good outfit from an amazing one. The images in the Biodiversity Heritage Library can help you make the leap
October 26, 2012 |
By Megan Gambino
Fossilized Shoulder Reveals Early Hominids Climbed Trees
The shoulder blades of a 3.3-million-year-old Australopithecus afarensis child suggest the species spent at least some time in the treetops
October 25, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
Feathery Ostrich Mimics Enfluffle the Dinosaur Family Tree
A trio of feathered dinosaurs tests a longstanding hypothesis and hint that there may be more feathered dinosaur fossils than anyone ever expected
October 25, 2012 |
By Brian Switek
Beluga Whale Learns to Speak Like a Human
Beluga whales can vocalize in a way remarkably close to human speech, according to new observations
October 23, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
The Mystery of Human Blood Types
The ABO blood group evolved at least 20 million years ago, but scientists still don't understand the purpose of blood types
October 22, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
Giant, Foot-long Daddy Longlegs Discovered in Cave
A huge, 13-inch long harvestman - better known as a daddy longlegs - turned up in Laos
October 19, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Dolphins Sleep With Only Half Their Brain at a Time
Dolphins sleep with only half of their brains at a time, bestowing them with the uncanny ability to stay constantly alert for at least 15 days in a row
October 19, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Brain-Eating Crows May Help Spread Prion Diseases
Prions - the infectious proteins that cause illnesses in humans and other animals such as mad cow disease - can pass through the digestive systems of crows
October 18, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
This Feeder Doubles as a Photo Booth for Birds
A bird feeder with a built-in camera housing could economize wildlife photography
October 17, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
14 Fun Facts About Hagfish
In honor of Hagfish Day, learn about the seemingly-disgusting creatures' gill-clogging slime and ability to digest dead carcasses through their skin
October 17, 2012 |
By Hannah Waters
Whatever Happened to Kenyanthropus platyops?
Scientists disagree over whether a 3.5-million-year-old skull is a flat-faced species of hominid or just a distorted example of Australopithecus afarensis
October 17, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
City Birds Are Evolving To Be More Flexible and Assertive Than Their Country Cousins
Animals are adapting to life in the big city
October 17, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Clues to Ape (and Human) Evolution Can Be Seen in Sinuses
Would sinus headaches be more bearable if humans had descended from Asian apes instead of African apes?
October 15, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
100-Million-Year-Old Spider Caught in the Act of Pouncing on Its Prey
A rare fossil captured a 100-million-year-old moment in time, a spider attacking an insect trapped in its web
October 15, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Kenai the Sea Otter, Rescued From Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, Has Died
One of the last two otters rescued from the Exxon Valdez oil spill has just passed away
October 11, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
The Bat-Winged Dinosaur That Never Was
Just when naturalists began to suspect that birds might be dinosaurs, one researcher put forward a truly strange idea of what early bird ancestors would have looked like
October 11, 2012 |
By Brian Switek
The Top Ten Human Evolution Discoveries from Ethiopia
Home to Lucy, Ardi, the oldest stone tools, the first fossils of modern humans and many other discoveries, Ethiopia deserves the title of Cradle of Humankind
October 10, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
There’s a 235-Pound, 15-Week-Old, Cuter Than Cute Baby Walrus Coming to NYC
A 15-week-old baby walrus rescued from Alaska arrives in New York City tomorrow
October 10, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Bioluminescent Worms Welcomed Columbus to the New World
Before Columbus made landfall in the New World 520 years ago today, glowing green worms engaged in a mating dance may have welcomed him first
October 08, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Like Salamanders, African Spiny Mice Can Grow New Tails
The spiny mouse achieves regeneration feats thanks to its unique gene expression, but new research shows that tissue regeneration may not be so uncommon in mammals as scientists once thought
October 08, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
