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Animals

Eastern gray kangaroo genetic material was used for the study, which produced embryos via IVF.

Scientists Produced the First Kangaroo Embryos Through IVF. They Could Be Key to Marsupial Conservation in Australia

With continued work in the future, the team hopes to promote live births of endangered marsupial species, including Tasmanian devils, koalas and northern hairy-nosed wombats

Doctors at NYU Langone Health recently performed a transplant surgery using a gene-edited pig kidney. The patient, Towana Looney, is now more than two months out from surgery and recovering well,

FDA Approves Transplant Trials for Gene-Edited Pig Kidneys

Two biotechnology companies will begin testing the procedures in patients suffering from kidney failure

Arctic grayling live in many northern waterways, but they disappeared from Michigan in 1936.

These Shimmery Fish Disappeared From Michigan Nearly a Century Ago. Can They Make a Comeback?

Great Lakes tribes and state biologists are working together to reintroduce Arctic grayling to northern Michigan’s waterways

The coast horned lizard (Phrynosoma blainvillii) depends on chaparral habitat to survive. It has declined across much of its range due to habitat loss, whether from development or invasion of non-native grasses. After fires, non-native grasses often fill in habitat and create problems for the species.

Here’s How the Los Angeles Wildfires Are Affecting Animals, From Fish to Snakes to Birds

While scientists were able to save and move some creatures in the aftermath, researchers are worried about the prospects for other species

Nyota, a 25-year-old male bonobo at Ape Initiative in Iowa, participated in the study.

When Bonobos Know What You Don’t, They’ll Tell You. It’s a Sign of a Cognitive Ability Called ‘Theory of Mind’

A first-of-its-kind study suggests bonobos, like humans, can understand someone else’s lack of knowledge—and adjust their actions accordingly

The Tyrannosaurus at Spain’s Jurassic Museum of Asturias offer a speculative take on how dinosaurs mated.

Everything You Want to Know About Dinosaur Sexual Anatomy and Reproduction, From Their Genitalia to How They Laid Eggs

Paleontologists continue to find fossils that help revise our understanding of how dinosaurs did it

A polar bear near Kaktovik, Alaska. New research reveals how polar bears keep ice off their fur.

How Do Polar Bears Keep Ice Off Their Fur? New Study Reveals the Secret—and It Could Improve Technology

The de-icing properties of polar bear sebum could fuel new innovations, scientists say, potentially unlocking alternatives to harmful “forever chemicals” used in ice-resistant coatings today

The swell shark pup at Louisiana's Shreveport Aquarium

Shark Pup Mysteriously Hatches in Aquarium Tank With Only Females. How Could This Birth Happen?

Experts say the case is either a rare form of asexual reproduction or an instance of (very) delayed fertilization

One of the first-ever images of the Mount Lyell shrew in California

See the First-Ever Photographs of the Elusive Mount Lyell Shrew, Finally Caught on Camera in California

A group of young researchers captured and photographed the animal on a three-day expedition to the Eastern Sierra Nevada

The fossil find, dubbed Danekræ DK-1295, contains regurgitated fragments of sea lilies.

Cool Finds

Fossil Hunter Discovers 66-Million-Year-Old Vomit in Denmark, Offering a Clue to the Cretaceous Food Chain

A marine animal snacked on some sea lilies that did not agree with its stomach—and we now know what happened next

Reef sharks are abundant in the new marine proteted area.

A New Marine Protected Area in the Marshall Islands Is Brimming With Life, Like a ‘Time Machine’ to Oceans Long Ago

The waters around two remote atolls in the central Pacific Ocean—spanning 18,500 square miles—are now protected from fishing

A tiger keelback feeds on poisonous toads and stores the poison for its own use.

Six Clever Snakes to Celebrate as We Slither Into the Lunar New Year

These fascinating serpents embody acclaimed qualities including cunning and intelligence

Lynx Spider by Manfred Auer won third place in the invertebrate portrait category of this year's Close-up Photographer of the Year contest.

See 15 Winning Images From the Close-Up Photographer of the Year Competition

The annual contest offers a glimpse into the hidden world of tiny scenes, from insects to fish to fungi

Togo and his owner, musher Leonhard Seppala, in 1927

Discover Alaska

This Heroic Dog Raced Across the Frozen Alaskan Wilderness to Deliver Life-Saving Medicine—but His Contributions Were Long Overlooked

Togo, not Balto, was the driving force behind the 1925 Serum Run to Nome, which found teams of mushers and sled dogs delivering antitoxin to children suffering from diphtheria

A recently discovered trove of Winnie-the-Pooh materials found new homes in the United States and the United Kingdom after selling at auction.

Cool Finds

Man Finds Rare Trove of Winnie-the-Pooh Drawings and Manuscripts in His Father’s Attic

The papers connected to author A.A. Milne—including original drafts, illustrations, letters, poems and corrected proofs—sold at auction for more than $118,000

Laminella venusta is a state land snail endemic to Molokai.

How a Hawaiian High School Student Inspired Nine New State Animals

Researchers hope the designation of several species of land snails, or kāhuli, will lead to conservation

Researchers are investigating oyster "blood" as a potential new treatment for antimicrobial-resistant pathogens.

Oyster ‘Blood’ May Be the Secret Weapon in Our Fight Against Antibiotic-Resistant Superbugs, Study Finds

In lab experiments, a protein found in the Sydney rock oyster made some antibiotics more effective and killed several types of illness-causing bacteria

The head of Bathynomus vaderi, a newly described species of giant isopod found in Southeast Asian waters

Researchers Identified a New ‘Supergiant’ Crustacean With 14 Legs—and They Named It After Darth Vader

In recent years, the deep-sea giant isopod has also become a seafood delicacy in Vietnam, where it was discovered

LouLou, an elephant at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, was one of five that the Nonhuman Rights Project claimed in a lawsuit should be able to live in a sanctuary.

Elephants Aren’t People and Can’t Sue to Leave a Zoo, Colorado’s Top Court Rules

The court rejected a case to send five African elephants to a sanctuary, saying they have no legal right to demand release under habeas corpus

When a Japanese aquarium closed for a six-month renovation project, a sunfish named Mambo stopped eating and began rubbing up against the side of its tank. Aquarists wondered if the creature was lonely. (Mambo is not pictured.)

A Sunfish Got ‘Lonely’ When Its Aquarium Closed for Renovations. Then, Staff Found a Creative Way to Cheer It Up

The solitary fish named Mambo stopped eating and seemed to be missing its human visitors—so aquarists attached photos of human faces and uniforms to the side of its enclosure

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