
Octopus Cannibalism Captured for First Time
Eight-armed buffet: Divers record video of an octopus eating one of its own

Octopus Cannibalism Captured for First Time
Eight-armed buffet: Divers record video of an octopus eating one of its own

"Missing Links" Found between Birds and Dinosaurs
Flock to this: A new analysis of anatomical features shows birds evolved gradually from dinosaurs


Deep Sea Explorations Amaze with Live Stream Video
On Tuesday I wrote about my experience diving in a deep-sea submarine, but going on right now are two live-streaming deep-sea expeditions that allow you incredible access to the deep sea from the comfort of your own home.

Technology Unlocks the Mysteries of Bird Flight
Bob Dylan asked: "Are birds free from the chains of the skyway?" Sure, this is a metaphor (in Dylan's case, for a lost love) but it works because the complexities of avian flight—from migration and navigation to group dynamics—have long been a mystery, one with a preponderance of ideas, but few firm answers.

Pterosaur Discoveries Flourish in 2014
I'm still not sure whether I blog about Mesozoic archosaurs - specifically dinosaurs and pterosaurs - too often, or too infrequently. As I always say, the problem as I see it is that dinosaurs and pterosaurs have so much presence in the blogosphere that writing about them always feels like jumping on a bandwagon.

Ig Nobel Prizes Make You Laugh, Then Think
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—What happens in the brains of people who see Jesus in a piece of toast? What are the physics of slipping on a banana peel?

Dino Devastator Also Ravaged Veggies
After the Chicxulub meteorite, more than half the plant species in temperate North America perished along with the dinosaurs, and the composition of post-impact vegetation changed markedly. Christopher Intagliata reports

Speedy Lizard Outraces Global Warming
A Bahamanian lizard has shown the ability to adapt to higher temperatures

Is Cryptozoology Good or Bad for Science?
I'm an unashamed fan of cryptozoology - this being (for the two of you that don't know) the field of study that revolves around those creatures thought to exist by some, but which remain unrecognised by mainstream science in general.

Chinese Sturgeon Give Up, Stop Breeding in Polluted Yangtze River
When an endangered species stops breeding, you know its days are probably numbered. In China the countdown has apparently begun for the critically endangered Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis).

Chimp Violence Fails to Support Deep-Roots Theory of War
On this blog, in my book The End of War and elsewhere (see Further Reading and Viewing), I have knocked the deep roots theory of war, which holds that war stems from an instinct deeply embedded in the genes of our male ancestors.

Ocean Algae Can Evolve Fast to Tackle Climate Change
Longer-lived creatures, from fish to shellfish, would not be able to evolve their way out of trouble