Ecology

From the first sighting of a colossal squid in the wild to a seriously goofy octopus, 2025 delivered some astounding photos from the ocean’s depths

Oceanographers hope to find otherworldly ecosystems at hydrothermal vents on the Arctic seafloor

A surge in global temperatures has caused widespread coral reef bleaching and death around the world

Scientists suspected that Europe’s largest bats snack on migrating songbirds when they can, but a stunning newly published observation proves it

The “Great North American Eclipse” of April 2024 was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study how birds and other wildlife respond to total solar eclipses

Scientists electrically culled invasive fish in a 20-year battle—but the fish fought back with rapid evolution

Nearly 100 years ago dozens of ships were abandoned in a shallow bay in the Potomac River. Today plants and animals are thriving on the skeletons of these vessels

Forest ecologist Mark Harmon has been exhaustively examining dead logs for 40 years, and he’s found a complex world few people see

A new preprint field study reveals that New York City’s rats aren’t just survivors—they’re talkative city dwellers with their own hidden nightlife. Mapping their movements and conversations could offer insights to transform urban planning and pest control

The first detailed observation of the bathroom habits of Streaked Shearwaters at sea leave scientists with a surprising load of questions

A vector ecologist explains the complexities of tracking tick-borne diseases like Lyme in a climate-changed world

Bird flu fears have focused on the poultry and dairy industries and human health. But wild animals are threatened, too—at scales no one fully understands