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The New Zealand sea lion is listed as endangered, and conservationists are working to ensure their population continues to grow. 

After Being Hunted to Near-Extinction, New Zealand Sea Lions Are Reclaiming the Mainland

These blubbery critters have made grand reappearances on golf courses, swimming pools and hiking trails, startling some New Zealanders

If regulators approve the request, roughly 181 million fully vaccinated Americans will be able to get an additional jab.

Pfizer Asks FDA to Expand Booster Eligibility to All Adults

Experts are optimistic the request will be granted before the winter holiday season

A Canyonlands park ranger stumbled across the fossil and reported it to the park about a year ago.

A 300-Million-Year-Old Fossil Discovered in Utah Could Be a New Species

Fossilized remains of aquatic creatures are commonly found in Canyonlands National Park, but discovering a land-dwelling vertebrate is incredibly rare

Aside from making the eerie noise, the signal causes more bees to gather at the hive's entrance and begin other defense actions against the hornets. Like smearing dung around the hive and forming "bee balls " swarm and kill incoming hornets.  

Listen to Asian Honeybees ‘Shriek’ When Murder Hornets Are Nearby

The bees will sound the alarm against invaders by vibrating their wings to make a noise akin to high-pitched scream

When the queen dies, Jerdon's jumping ants duel to select their next leader.

A Single Protein Can Switch Some Ants From a Worker Into a Queen

Changing the expression of a one protein in the brains of Jerdon’s jumping ants is enough to launch the biological transition

The sea eagle, native to Asia—specifically China, Japan, Korea, and Eastern Russia—has been spotted thousands of miles away from its range in places as far south as Texas and as far North as Alaska.

Thousands of Miles Away From Home, This Steller’s Sea Eagle Couldn’t Be Any More Lost

Now in Nova Scotia, the Asian raptor has been spotted several times in North America in the past year and a half

For a tiny, soft-bodied worm, seeking shelter by way of hermiting behavior likely protected it from predators.

Penis Worms May Have Been the First Real Hermits

Hermit crabs may have evolved hermiting behavior 180 million years ago, but penis worms beat them by more than 300 million years

If humans want to establish a long-term presence on Mars, the ability to grow food in the planet’s harsh conditions is key.

Heinz Debuts ‘Marz Edition’ Ketchup Made With Tomatoes Grown in Mars-Like Conditions

Scientists grew the tomatoes under the same temperature and water levels found on the surface of the Red Planet

The three-inch Joros can weave their massive webs almost anywhere, including porches, gardens and mailboxes.

‘Like a Scene Out of ‘Arachnophobia,” Invasive Spiders Take Over Northern Georgia

Scientists are torn on whether the Joro spider could have positive or negative effects on the native ecosystem

Though experts emphasize that vaccines are the primary defense against Covid-19, antiviral medicines could be another tool that doctors can use reduce the severity of infections, especially for high-risk Americans.

Pfizer Says Covid-19 Pill Cuts Hospitalization and Death Risk by Nearly 90 Percent

Though vaccines are still the best line of defense against the virus, the antiviral drug could help high-risk Americans once symptoms appear

Cervical cancer rates in women who received the vaccine when they were between 14 and 16 were reduced by 62 percent. Women who received the vaccine in their late teens between 16 to 18 had a 34 percent reduction in cervical cancer rates.

U.K. Study Finds HPV Vaccine Reduced Cervical Cancer Rates by 87%

When children are inoculated between 12 and 13 years old, the vaccine is most effective

The 17-pound spud could earn the top spot in the Guiness Book of World Records.

At 17 Pounds, ‘Doug’ the Ugly Potato Could Be the World’s Biggest Spud

Colin and Donna Craig-Brown of New Zealand named the giant tuber and have been taking it for walks

Chemical analysis of the glass identified minerals only found in extraterrestrial rocks and minerals, such as cubanite, troilite, pyrrhotite lath, or calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions. These minerals were also found in dust collected from the Wild-2 comet in 2004 by NASA during the Stardust mission.

Ancient Meteorite May Have Created Large Patches of Glittering Glass in South American Desert

An exploding comet may have transformed the sandy landscape into pieces of black and green twisted minerals

Labyrinths of stones form in cold landscapes when water freezes into ice needles that push pebbles to one side. Overtime, the rising and falling of ice needles move the pebbles into intricate shapes—like the ones pictured here in Svalbard, Norway.    

How Ice ‘Needles’ Sculpt Stone Patterns in Frigid Landscapes

The self-organized natural patterns appear gradually as the ground freezes and thaws in a cycle

The ice stupa project in Chile was inspired by the original one founded in India, where communities in the Ladakh Valley are using the mini glaciers to get them through the dry months.

As Natural Glaciers Recede, Some Communities Are Building Their Own

Each ice stupa holds thousands of gallons of water, providing communities with a freshwater source during dry seasons

In 2015, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck beneath Japan's Bonin Islands.

The Deepest Earthquake Ever Recorded Happened 467 Miles Underground, Surprising Scientists

Because of intense heat and pressure, quakes are rare beyond 186 miles deep beneath Earth’s crust

Unique trills, calls, chirps, gurgling, and whistles are crucial components in nature's soundscapes. (Pictured: Male Indigo Bunting)  

Spring Soundscapes Are Changing as Bird Populations Continue to Decline

More than 200,000 sites across North America and Europe have become quieter in the past two decades as biodiversity and population numbers dwindle

Carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels fell more than 5 percent last year but jumped back up in 2021.

Global CO2 Emissions Have Returned to Near Pre-Pandemic Levels

A new report shows carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels jumped by more this year than they fell during 2020

Bison are essential to Yellowstone's ecosystem because their migration patterns can influence the landscape through how intensely they graze at grasslands.   

Watch Over 150 Bison Weave Through Traffic in Yellowstone as Winter Migration Begins

Park officials have advised keeping distance and not approaching wildlife

After four months of growing, the crew harvested the peppers offered feedback on the flavor and spiciness.

Astronauts Celebrate Growing Peppers for the First Time With ‘Best Space Tacos Yet’

Fresh produce could improve health on long missions

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