Nature
Nature, or the natural world, encompasses the behavior and physiology of animals, plants and minerals
Events August 24-26: Bones, Steel Pans, and Photographic Ingenuity
This weekend, bone up on your skeletal knowledge, survey new artwork from the Middle East and celebrate the steel pan
August 23, 2012 |
By Jeanie Riess
Celebrating 1,447 Years of the Loch Ness Monster
Yesterday, 1,447 years ago, Saint Columba, a Gaelic Irish missionary monk, was poking around the Scottish highlands when he reportedly stumbled upon a creature no man had before seen: an ancient, long-surviving plesiosaurs, known today as the Loch Ness monster
August 23, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Dogs Chasing Their Tails Are Akin to Humans With OCD
For dogs engaged in this futile repetitive behavior, there might not be much of a choice, just like people suffering from OCD
August 22, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Is This Mother Giraffe Mourning Her Dead Baby?
Mother giraffes join the ranks of elephants, polar bears, chimpanzees, gorillas,and other animals in the practice of mourning their dead
August 22, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Five Accidental Hominid Fossil Discoveries
Sometimes finding Neanderthals, australopithecines and other human ancestors is a complete accident
August 22, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
Playing Music as a Child Leads to Better Listening as an Adult
A new study indicates that musical instruction for just a few years during childhood can have long-lasting benefits
August 22, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
In Vietnam, Rhino Horn is the Drug of Choice at both Parties and Hospitals
A new report issued by TRAFFIC issues the latest depressing statistics surrounding the epidemic-proportion illegal rhino horn trade between South Africa and Asia.
August 21, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
New Evidence for Climate Change: Butterflies
The meticulous records of an amateur butterfly club in New England are opening a window into changes happening to the regional climate
August 21, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Zoo Polar Bear Thanks Zebra for Deadly Herpes Virus
Exotic animals in Germany’s Wuppertal Zoo aren't just sharing smiles and admiration from visitors. They are sharing deadly viruses, too
August 21, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
An Oil Dispersant Made From Ingredients in Peanut Butter, Ice Cream and Chocolate?
New research is yielding oil dispersants that are non-toxic and prevent oil from sticking to birds and wildlife
August 20, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
The Best Places to See Hominid Bones Online, Part II
The Internet is full of great websites where you can play with hominid fossils
August 20, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
‘We the People’ Do a Better Job of Picking Endangered Species than the Government
Crowdsourcing threatened and endangered species listings turns out to be more efficient than relying solely on the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the agency that oversees the Endangered Species Act
August 17, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Frantic Search Ensues for Planet-Sized Dunce Cap as World’s Oceans Take Home Report Card
The "ocean health index" was just released, and overall the world got a giant "D"
August 16, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Where Has the Heat Been Most Oppresive This Summer?
This year is shaping up to be among the warmest on record—not only in the United States but worldwide. Here are a few of the hottest hotspots
August 16, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Scientists Make Progress Towards a Male Contraceptive Pill
A new molecule originally developed to fight cancer looks to be a promising compound in the search for a male contraceptive
August 16, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Killer Economy – Science Suspects Recession to Blame for 1,000 Suicides in England
While jobs declined in England between 2008 to 2010, researchers found that suicides increased
August 15, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Neanderthal and Human Matings Get a Date
New research shows modern humans bred with Neanderthals 47,000 to 65,000 years ago as our ancestors left Africa
August 15, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
Shark Week Loses its Bite, and That’s a Good Thing for Sharks
After 25 years of man-eating, Discovery's Shark Week embraces conservation
August 15, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
Shark Week Proves We Are Fascinated by Sharks, So Why Do We Kill So Many of Them?
Around the world, these animals command a strange sort of fascination in their human admirers—an urge to see, learn and encounter, but also to kill
August 14, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Big Momma – Record 87 Eggs Found in Gargantuan Everglades Python
University of Florida researchers cut into the largest python ever found in the Everglades, measuring a whopping 17-feet-7-inches long and weighing 165 pounds
August 14, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
