The Caldera of Santorini is today a ring of islands in the Aegean.

What Happens Before a Volcano Blows?

Volcanologists thought that the buildup to an eruption would take centuries. But this report adds to a suspicion that it can happen faster than expected

A restoration of Saurolophus angustirostris based upon skeletal and soft-tissue fossils

Judging a Dinosaur By its Cover

A new study suggests that you can distinguish different hadrosaur species by their pebbly hides alone

The scientific name of the ox-eyed oreo is Oreosoma atlanticum. Oreosoma, meaning "mountain body," refers to the peaks protruding from the fish's underbelly.

What You See When You Turn a Fish Inside Out

Scientists use X-rays to classify different species, but when viewed outside the lab, the images provide stunning art

Orcinus orca

What the Inuit Taught Scientists About Killer Whales

The native people knew what orcas ate, how they hunted prey, how the prey responded to the whales and when and where predation occurred

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Dinosaur Deep Freeze

An animated short suggests dinosaurs died out for want of winter coats

A reconstruction of Velociraptor, complete with a scleral ring in the eye, at the Wyoming Dinosaur Center in Thermopolis, WY.

The Debate Over Dinosaur Sight

Did Velociraptor hunt under the cover of darkness?

Studies show most football coaches make poor decisions on fourth down. Does Bill Belichick have a secret advantage?

Super Bowl Science: Are Football Coaches Irrational?

Studies show that coaches often make poor choices in crucial situations. But one coach may have a secret advantage

Astronomer Roger Angel is trying to harness the power of the sun with new technology developed for telescopes. The solar tracker pictured currently makes 2 kW of electric power.

An Astronomer’s Solution to Global Warming

The technology developed for telescopes, it turns out, can harness solar power

A restoration of the Cretaceous snake Sanajeh about to gulp down a baby sauropod.

Scrambled Eggs and the Demise of the Dinosaurs

Did egg-eating lizards and snakes contribute to the dinosaurs’ extinction?

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Telomeres and Longevity in Zebra Finches

A study in birds confirms that protective caps on chromosomes predict a longer lifespan

A restoration of the island hadrosauroid Tethyshadros by Nobu Tamura

The “Duck-billed” Dinosaur That Wasn’t

Instead of a long, low duck bill, the beak of Tethyshadros was shaped like a snowplow and serrated. Why it had such a strange beak is a mystery

The bluetongue skink. Note the blue tongue.

How Animals Prepare for an Alien Invasion

Why can some—but only some—bluetongue skinks eat a toad that is poisonous to eat or even lick?

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Wild Things: Yeti Crabs, Guppies and Ravens

Tree killers and the first beds ever round up this month in wildlife news

Some orchid species mimic nectar-producing flowers to lure bees; others emit the fetid smell of rotting meat to attract carrion flies.

The Orchid Olympics

Breeders from 19 countries put their creations to the test at the 20th World Orchid Conference in Singapore

According to author Eric Klinenberg, there are more than 32 million people living alone—about 28 percent of all households.

Eric Klinenberg on Going Solo

The surprising benefits, to oneself and to society, of living alone

Lucy Jones is among the world's most influential seismologists—and perhaps the most recognizable.

Meet Lucy Jones, “the Earthquake Lady”

As part of her plan to prepare Americans for the next “big one,” the seismologist tackles the dangerous phenomenon of denial

A reconstruction of Tyrannosaurus rex on display at the National Museum of Natural History.

T. rex Trying…

A new cartoon series counts the many things tiny-armed Tyrannosaurus couldn’t do: cross-country ski, eat from a buffet, count to five

Top: The ninespine stickleback, Pungitus pungitus, is typical of the saltwater form. Bottom: A freshwater form of stickleback with fewer bony plates and fewer spines.

What Robot Fish Can Tell Us About Parallel Evolution

When housed in an aquarium with a swirling robotic school, what determines whether a fish will join the crowd?

How do boa constrictors know when to stop constricting?

Boa Constrictors Get a Feel for Their Prey

What makes a snake stop squeezing? We do science to prove ourselves wrong, because the answer people predicted is not the correct answer

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How an Ankylosaur Went Out to Sea

How did a heavily armored dinosaur wind up at the bottom of Alberta’s Cretaceous sea?

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