Biology

Millions of hand-size Joro spiders are moving up the East Coast. Don’t panic

By performing tricks for birds, monkeys and other creatures, researchers hope to learn how they perceive and think about their world

Female elephants address one another with individualized rumbles

Zoë Schlanger’s new book The Light Eaters explores the surprising science of plant intelligence.

Why are bears both adorable and deadly? Scientific American investigates why these apex predators are “friend-shaped”

Most orangutans take seven years to learn to make their own beds

Cuckoos are “nest pirates” that lay their eggs in other birds’ nests, setting off an evolutionary arms race that leads to the development of new species

A small South Pacific fern boasts more than 50 times as many base pairs as the human genome

Scientists reveal the face of Australia’s massive, extinct “giga-goose”

Skin-care experts break down dangerous misconceptions about tanning and suggest healthy ways to enjoy summertime sunshine

Solar storms that create auroras affect Earth’s magnetic field and may cause migratory species, such as many whales and birds, to lose their way

Plainfin midshipmen migrate from the deep sea to the intertidal zone to spawn, and that’s when things really get loud