Animals
Surprise Fossil-Munching Sponges Found in Arctic Seafloor Wasteland
The colony thrives in a frigid ocean covered by ice year-round
Animals215 articles archived since 1845
Epidemiology
How Sneezing Hamsters Sparked a COVID Outbreak in Hong Kong
Hamsters are only the second species known to have spread SARS-CoV-2 to humans
Evolution
Junk DNA Deforms Salamander Bodies
Yet the unfit creatures survive, challenging our long-held view of evolution
Animals
From Great Dane to Tiny Terrier, a Mutation Creates Enormous Variation in Dog Sizes
A genetic change that evolved from ancient wolves can help make dogs giant or small
Animals
Arctic Krill Track Day and Night Even in Polar Darkness
Without the sun’s guiding light, these tiny animals’ behavior still follows a circadian rhythm
Animals
New Bait Uses Mosquitoes’ Love of Malaria Parasite to Bite Them Back
Molecules produced by the parasite lure mosquitoes to a beet-based bait
Evolution
Fossils Reveal When Animals Started Making Noise
For billions of years Earth was quiet. Then life got loud
Animals
Desert Beetles Rely on Oral Sex for Successful Mating
The more time the insects spend on the courtship ritual, the better mating goes
Animals
Dogs Can Distinguish Speech from Gibberish—and Tell Spanish from Hungarian
A new study’s authors say their investigation represents the first time that a nonhuman brain has been shown to detect language
Animals
The Best Fun Science Stories of 2021: Rhythmic Lemurs, a Marscopter and Sex-Obsessed Insect Zombies
Check out the weird and wonderful stories that delighted us this year
Animals
Fish Do the Wave to Ward Off Predatory Birds
The synchronized dance of sulfur mollies is not only mesmerizing to watch but also confusing to predators
Animals
Potty Training Cows and Other Messy Stories from the Animal Kingdom
Wombats’ cubic poop, secret pee signals and pandas’ unusual strategy to stay warm
Animals
Newfound Millipede Breaks World Record for the Most Legs
It’s a millipede, literally
Animals
Movie-Making Tech Reveals Elephant Trunk Motions
The pachyderms build simple actions into complex movements
Animals
To See Where a Whale Has Been, Look in Its Mouth
The baleen that hangs from the jaws of some whale species contains clues about their migrations and diets
Animals
The Ups and Downs of a Great Vertical Migration
Research is shedding light on why many water dwellers, from plankton to large fish, commute daily from the depths to the surface
Animals
The Surprising Architecture in Bees’ Honeycombs
The insects’ hives are more complicated than researchers thought
Evolution
The Surprising Secret of Snakes’ Venomous Bites
Fangs evolved over and over because of this groovy process
Animals
Albatross ‘Divorce’ Rate Rises as the Ocean Warms
Monogamous black-browed albatross may split up from the stress of less food availability
Animals
Mystery of Doomed Sardine Migration Is Finally Solved
Pulses of cold seawater mislead millions of sardines into swimming along the South African coast to their death
