Nature
Nature, or the natural world, encompasses the behavior and physiology of animals, plants and minerals
Could Porcupine Quills Help Us Design the Next Hypodermic Needle?
Microscopic barbs allow porcupine quills to slice into flesh easily and stay there stubbornly—qualities that could prove useful in medical applications
December 10, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Environmentalists Want To Keep Oil Platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. Wait, What?
Oil companies want to pull their rigs from the Gulf, but environmentalists are saying "no"
December 10, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Google Gives Millions To Build Poacher-Hunting Drones
Google has joined Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Chinese basketball star Yao Ming and countless wildlife organizations in the battle against illegal wildlife trade
December 10, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Four Species of Homo You’ve Never Heard Of, Part II
The history of anthropology is littered with many now-defunct hominid species that no longer have a place in the human family tree
December 10, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
Stylish But Illegal Monkey Caught at Ikea
A confused monkey wearing a shearling coat and diaper was found wandering around outside an Ikea store in Toronto
December 10, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
On This Day in 1901, the First Nobel Prizes Were Awarded
One-hundred and eleven years ago today the first Nobel Prizes were awarded in Stockholm, Sweden, for physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and peace
December 10, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
Should Trophy Hunting of Lions Be Banned?
Some argue that tourist safari hunts generate important money for African nations—but can lions afford the loss?
December 07, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Catfish Are Teaching Themselves to Catch Pigeons
In southwestern France, catfish are throwing themselves on the shore to catch pigeons
December 07, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Quirky Holiday Gift Ideas for Science Nerds
A roundup of unique (if impractical) science gifts, from glass anatomical models to retro adding machines
December 07, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Lions Are Disappearing From Africa
New research shows that lions are quickly disappearing across Africa's once-thriving savannahs due to human population growth and massive land use conversion
December 07, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Extroverted Gorillas Live Longer Than Shy Ones
For gorillas, it pays to have personality. Extroverted gorillas in captivity outlive their shy friends, according to a new study of the animals in North American zoos and sanctuaries, reports LiveScience. To arrive at this conclusion, researchers used methods adapted from studying human personality. They analyzed data from 298 gorillas over 18 years of the [...]
December 06, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Where to Watch the Biggest Waves Break
From Waimea Bay to "Mavericks," here are some superb sites to watch surfers catch the biggest breakers in the world this winter
December 06, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
World’s Largest Cut Aquamarine Gives the Hope Diamond a Run for its Money
A dazzlingly blue obelisk comes to the Natural History Museum after a long journey from the mines of Brazil to the stone cutting capital of Europe
December 06, 2012 |
By Leah Binkovitz
The Top 10 Animal Superpowers
So you think Spiderman’s and Catwoman’s special powers are impressive. They’re nothing compared to what these creatures can do
December 06, 2012 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Cavemen Were Much Better At Illustrating Animals Than Artists Today
A new study finds that prehistoric humans correctly depicted the gait of four-legged animals much more frequently than modern artists
December 05, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Besse Cooper, World’s Oldest Person, Passes Away
Born in 1896, Besse Cooper was came into a world that was vastly different than the one she just left
December 05, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
How Death Played a Role in the Evolution of Human Height
A longer life expectancy might have allowed members of the genus Homo to grow taller than earlier australopithecines, researchers propose
December 05, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
Birds Harness the Deadly Power of Nicotine to Kill Parasites
And city birds are stuffing their nests with cigarette butts to poison potential parasites
December 05, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
Collecting the World’s Collections of Small Oddities One Day at a Time
A Q&A with Diana Zlatanovski on how she came to collect collections, what they say about design, and how to be a collector without becoming a hoarder
December 04, 2012 |
By Sarah C. Rich
World’s Greatest Extinction May Have Actually Been Two Extinctions in One
The Permian-Triassic extinction nearly wiped out life on Earth
December 04, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
