It’s the beak that lends the attire of the medieval plague doctor its surreal quality, but it wasn’t there just to scare

Why Plague Doctors Wore Strange Masks (3:05)

It’s fruit-gathering time for these orphan orangutans—one of their favorite pastimes. But can they follow the lead of their human carers and learn how to crack open a coconut for themselves?

Baby Orangutans Learn How to Crack Coconuts (3:55)

A Smithsonian researcher was part of the international team that discovered a new species of North American medicinal (human-feeding) leech, Macrobdella mimicus. (Ian Cook)

New Leech Species Macrobdella mimicus (2:16)

As foliage darkens in the fall, the pigments within the plant matter break down and transform

The Changing Colors of Deciduous Leaves (2:00)

Carmine bee-eaters use their long slender bill to pluck bees out of the air. Then, to neutralize their dangerous sting, they’ll smash the bee against the ground several times

A Hungry Bird Brutally Separates a Bee From Its Stinger (2:03)

Like most foxes, red foxes hunt mice and voles, which they detect through the snow, thanks to their advanced hearing abilities. Once a red fox pinpoints its prey’s location, it leaps high into the air and nosedives in

Red Fox Hilariously Pounces Headfirst Into Snow (3:18)

Young elephants are too small to reach the high branches of trees, where the nutritious leaves lie. So they get a helping hand from one of the older females, who proceeds to pull an entire tree down

How Adult Elephants Help Feed Younger Herd Members (2:04)

NASA began working on lunar vehicles in the early 1960s—but the project relied more on guesswork than engineering precision. After all, no one had any idea what being on the moon would be like

The Design of the Lunar Rover Was Mostly Guesswork (2:37)

Most canines, including these adorable wolf pups, are social animals with brains that have evolved for that purpose. This is why dogs are, on the whole, smarter than some solitary animals

Are Dogs Really More Intelligent Than Cats? (3:10)

Did you know that some of the technologies we take for granted in our kitchens were actually developed by NASA? Here are five of the best, from water filters to freeze-dried food

Five Kitchen Objects Inspired by Nasa (2:24)

After the success of Apollo 11, NASA unveiled an ambitious agenda for more missions into space. But interest among the public was beginning to drop—and the Nixon administration balked at the high costs

Why Interest in Space Travel Waned After Apollo 11 (2:48)

To prepare him for landing the lunar module, Neil Armstrong practiced on a training vehicle right here on Earth. It was designed to replicate flying within a gravitational pull that was 1/6 that of Earth

How Neil Armstrong Trained to Land the Lunar Module (2:13)

The crew of Apollo 11 had made history by landing on the moon and coming back to Earth in one piece. But before the celebrations could begin, they would have to spend some time in quarantine

Why the Apollo 11 Crew Was Quarantined Upon Return (2:59)

You might expect the ancestor of modern-day whales to be a marine dweller of considerable size. But pakicetus is as far removed from that image as you could possibly imagine

Why This Whale Ancestor Is an Evolutionary Surprise (2:54)

In 1946, on a remote Pacific Island, the military began a program known as ‘Operation Crossroads.’ Its aim was to capture, on film, the actual moment of an atomic bomb detonation

Capturing a Photograph of an Atomic Bomb Blast (2:54)

The success of the Apollo 8 mission hinged on a unique and terrifying maneuver: slowing the spacecraft enough to enter lunar orbit. Even the slightest mistake would have meant certain doom

The Riskiest Maneuver in the History of the Space Program (3:51)

Today, there is only one species of crocodile on Madagascar: the famous Nile Crocodile. But local stories about a horned-crocodile that died out hundreds of years ago have spurred a search for its fossils

Scientists Find Skull of an Extinct Crocodile Species (3:14)

NASA is preparing to send a chimpanzee, Ham, into space to test the effects of space on a living creature. He’s received a training regiment to prepare him for the mission ahead

NASA's First Chimp in Space (2:11)

Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys have several adaptations to deal with the cold: from upturned noses that protect them from frostbite to special blood vessels that help them increase their oxygen uptake

How Snub-Nosed Monkeys Adapted to Extreme Cold (2:01)

Coral is a slow-grower—only about six inches a year. But with global warming and pollution, damaged coral doesn’t always get the recovery time it needs

Coral Grows at About the Same Rate as Human Hair (1:55)

Not many people know that hippos can be loud. In fact, in the Luangwa Valley, the noise they make can reach up to 115 decibels—the equivalent of a rock concert

The Noise Made by Wild Hippos Can Be Deafening (2:09)

Elephants have the longest gestation period of all mammals: 22 months. In addition, elephant mothers have remarkably strong bonds with their calves that endure for life.

Why Elephant Moms Always Stay Close to Their Calves (1:48)

The first class of NASA astronauts, dubbed the ‘Mercury 7,’ were put through a series of rigorous tests to prepare them for space, from heat chambers to to simulated weightlessness.

The Training Regimen of NASA's First Astronauts (3:07)

Baby hedgehogs, known as hoglets, are born blind and completely reliant on their mothers. Even their famed spines start out soft and hair-like, taking a couple of weeks to harden.

Baby Hedgehog Quills Don’t Harden Right Away (0:06)

May bugs are an evolutionary window into why beetles are considered so successful, from their armor-plated bodies to protect vital organs, to their highly specialized front and back wings

Why Beetles Are Such an Evolutionary Success (2:08)

This pair of lion cub siblings have dramatically different personalities—and some scientists believe the sibling rivalry it generates may be an important evolutionary tool.

Is Sibling Rivalry an Important Survival Tool for Lion Cubs? (1:49)

Geysers, such as Iceland’s impressive Strokkur Geysir, are often the result of trapped water hitting hot volcanic rock. The resulting vapor creates immense pressure, forcing water out through vents in the surface.

The Hydrothermal Process That Powers Geysers (1:46)

Caterpillars shed their skin at least four times before they become butterflies. To fuel this transformation, they need to eat constantly—and they certainly do.

Why ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ Trope Isn’t an Exaggeration (1:16)

Meet Dunkleosteus, perhaps the fiercest fish that ever existed. It lived 360 million years ago and was twice as long and three times as heavy as a great white shark.

This Prehistoric Fish Makes a Great White Look Like a Goldfish (3:02)

In the 1970s, Vancouver Island was home to more than 170 glaciers. Rising global temperatures have reduced that number to five—with some scientists predicting they could all be gone within 25 years.

The Glaciers of Vancouver Island May Disappear Within Our Lifetime (1:42)