Humans Made Poisoned Arrowheads Thousands of Years Earlier Than Previously Thought
The use of poison on arrows marked a revolution in human hunting technology—new evidence suggests it happened tens of thousands of years earlier than previously known
The Race to Find Leonardo da Vinci’s DNA Just Took a Major Twist
Scientists have uncovered genetic evidence that they say may be linked to the Renaissance master, but some experts are more skeptical
Why does life keep evolving these geometric patterns?
A global catalog shows how creatures across the tree of life balance rigidity with flexibility in remarkably consistent ways
How woodpeckers turn their entire bodies into pecking machines
These birds’ drilling approach is more like extreme tennis playing than weight lifting
Orcas on the Brink—What a Dog Named Eba and a Team of Scientists Are Fighting For
A scientist, a journalist and a remarkable scent‑detecting dog race to learn what’s endangering the last southern resident orcas
Ancient bees burrowed inside bones, fossils reveal
Bones of now extinct species became a haven for bee babies thousands of years ago, scientists report in a first-of-its-kind discovery
Rising Temperatures Could Trigger a Reptile Sexpocalypse
The sex of many turtles, crocodilians, and other reptiles is determined by the temperature at which their eggs incubate. Global warming could doom them
These Hummingbirds Joust Like Medieval Knights—Even to the Death
The sharp, elongated bills of green hermit hummingbirds aren’t just fine-tuned for feeding; they also allow males to joust like knights over mates
In a First, Photos Show Moths Sipping a Moose’s Tears
Moths sometimes drink the tears of other animals, but the behavior has mostly been observed in the tropics. New photographs show only the second observation outside of that area
Before Flowers Existed, These Plants Lured Insects with Heat
New research on strange cycad plants offers a glimpse into the prehistoric origins of pollination
Ancient humans were making fire 350,000 years earlier than scientists realized
Making fire on demand was a milestone in the lives of our early ancestors. But the question of when that skill first arose has been difficult for scientists to pin down
How Animals Form Unlikely Alliances to Keep Predators Away
Cross-species “defense pacts” help animals keep tabs on parasites and predators