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Now Poachers Are Sawing Off Elephant Tusks in Museums
A plague of rhino horn and elephant tusk thefts to feed the wildlife black market continues in museums across Europe
April 02, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Why Geckos Don’t Slip Off Wet Jungle Leaves or Hotel Ceilings
A surface's ability to attract and repel water heavily influences the degree to which a gecko can cling overhead, new research shows
April 01, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
The Joys and Dangers of Exploring Africa on the Back of an Elephant
Renowned travel writer Paul Theroux journeys through Botswana’s spectacular, wildlife-rich wetlands
April 2013 |
By Paul Theroux
How Much Water Is in a Cloud and More Questions From Our Readers
Imaginary numbers, Roy Lichtenstein and much much more
April 2013 |
By Smithsonian magazine
Sugar Cube-Sized Robotic Ants Mimic Real Foraging Behavior
Researchers use tiny robots to study how ants navigate a labyrinth of networks, from the nest to the food and back again
March 28, 2013 |
By Marina Koren
Attractive Great Tits Raise Healthier Babies, Even If They’re Not Genetically Related
Males may be selecting for females with brighter cheeks and bolder stripes, which indicate the females' genetic strength and parenting skills
March 26, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
The Otherworldly Calm of Wolfgang Laib’s Glowing Beeswax Room
A German contemporary artist creates a meditative space—lined with beeswax—at the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C.
March 26, 2013 |
By Megan Gambino
Smuggler Caught With 10 Percent of an Entire Species
At the Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Thailand, authorities stopped a man with some turtles. Fifty-four ploughshare tortoises and twenty-one radiated tortoises, to be exact
March 26, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Sea Monkeys, Ferns and Frozen Frogs: Nature’s Very Own Resurrecting Organisms
As Easter draws near, we celebrate creatures that seemingly die and then come back to life
March 25, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
People in Israel Really Are Eating Swarming Locusts
While there are simply too many locusts to eat the swarm out of existence, Israelis who do tuck in can enjoy a healthy, kosher snack
March 22, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Brown Polar Bears, Beluga-Narwhals and Other Hybrids Brought to You by Climate Change
Animals with shrinking habitats are interbreeding, temporarily boosting populations but ultimately hurting species' survival
March 22, 2013 |
By Claire Martin
Video: This Lizard-Inspired Robot Can Scamper Across Sand
It's a product of the emerging field of terradynamics, which studies the movement of vehicles across shifting surfaces
March 21, 2013 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Scientists Are Making All Sorts of New Drugs From Animal Venom
Several venom-derived drugs are already approved on the market and scientists are working on what they think are many more to come
March 21, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Untangling the Mysterious Genetic Tentacles of the Giant Squid
Contrary to prior speculation about the elusive creatures, all giant squid belong to a single species and they all share very similar genetics
March 20, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
After 17 Years, the Northeast Is About to Be Blanketed by a Swarm of Cicadas
An inch and a half long with bright red eyes, the swarm of Brood II cicadas is coming
March 20, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Ecotourists Have Changed Stingrays’ Behavior—And Not for the Better
There might be a dark side to the so-called "interactive ecotourism" business
March 19, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Hundreds of Emaciated Stranded Sea Lion Pups Are Washing Ashore in California
No one knows what is causing the unprecedented strandings, and the number of pups in need of help is only increasing
March 18, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Would You Give up an Ovary for the Ability to Fly? Birds Might Have
For the ability to fly, birds might have ditched on of their ovaries to cut down on their weight
March 18, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Are Birds Evolving to Avoid Cars?
New research suggests that perhaps, for some animals, evolution might be kicking in and helping birds adapt to avoid cars
March 18, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
