Biology

An artist's reconstruction of the two tardigrade species found preserved in a pebble-sized piece of amber in Canada.

Rare Fossils Give Clues to How Tardigrades Survived Mass Extinctions by Hitting the Snooze Button

Scientists have only four known tardigrade fossils, which preserve insights into how the hardy critters evolved their hibernation-like superpower of cryptobiosis

A sunburst anemone (Anthopleura sola) fluoresces under ultraviolet light. Anemones eat prey that gets trapped in their sticky oral disk.

These Mesmerizing Anemones Have a Glowing Layer of Protection

Marine biologists discovered that a protein that boosts fluorescent output also enables an antioxidant property

Microwaves need to be cleaned regularly, just like other kitchen surfaces.

Your Microwave Is Teeming With Bacteria, Study Suggests

Researchers found thriving communities of microbes in microwave ovens used in home kitchens, shared spaces and laboratories

The cotton candy lobster caught by Joseph Kramer.

Rare 1-in-100-Million 'Cotton Candy' Lobster Found off the Coast of New Hampshire

A rare genetic mutation gives the crustacean its unique hues but also makes it more vulnerable to predators

A jar containing Ascaris, a parasitic worm that affects over one billion people worldwide

Parasites Are Everywhere. Why Do So Few Researchers Study Them?

Aging parasitologists are working hard to inspire more students to enter the field

NASA's Perseverance rover took this selfie next to "Cheyava Falls," the rock in the center of the photo that might hold evidence of ancient life on Mars.

Mars Rover Finds Three Possible Signs of Ancient Life on a Single Rock

Scientists were cautiously optimistic about Perseverance's discovery, though they indicated further research is needed before drawing definitive conclusions

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How to Sweat Like an Olympian

This summer, don’t be embarrassed by those pit stains or your drenched workout clothes. Our expert on the science of sweat says perspiration is what makes humans faster, higher and stronger

Rattlesnakes have gotten a bad rap over the years, but a live stream of their attentive parenting behaviors could help change that.

Look Into a 'Mega Den' of 2,000 Slithering Rattlesnakes With This Live Stream in Colorado

Run by researchers at Cal Poly, the stream is part of a citizen science initiative that aims to change the public's perception of the much-maligned reptiles

Baby beluga whales and adults alike spend the summer in the Churchill River.

Watch Chatty Beluga Families Migrate With These Stunning Live Cams in Canada

Polar Bears International and Explore.org are once again capturing video footage and audio recordings of the social marine mammals as tens of thousands congregate in the Churchill River this summer

Scientists believe the mammoth was so well-preserved because of the dry, cold climate in Siberia.

3D DNA Preserved for 52,000 Years in Freeze-Dried Woolly Mammoth Remains

For the first time, researchers have mapped ancient genetic material in unprecedented detail

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The Wild Story of What Happened to Pablo Escobar’s Hungry, Hungry Hippos

Ever since the demise of the infamous drug kingpin, his pet hippos have flourished, wreaking havoc on the ecosystem and terrorizing local communities

Ranchers and landowners consider dingoes pests, while conservationists say they are vitally important to Australia's ecosystem.

Ancient DNA Unravels the Mysteries of the Dingo, Australia's Wild Dog

Researchers dove into thousands of years of evolutionary history, revealing new insights about the iconic, though sometimes vilified, canines

In a still from a video, an ant at the bottom of the image bites off the leg of a wounded ant with a purple marker on its back.

Carpenter Ants Perform Life-Saving Amputations to Treat Leg Injuries

A new study provides the first evidence of non-human animals performing amputations on others to improve their odds of survival

A ctenophore, or comb jelly, swims in waters near New Zealand.

How Deep-Sea Comb Jellies Hold Their Shape Under Crushing Pressure

The delicate sea creatures fall apart when brought to the surface but can survive miles deep in the ocean due to special cell wall structures, according to a new study

At the beginning of June, aquarium officials announced Charlotte was no longer pregnant due to a reproductive disease.

Charlotte the 'Pregnant Virgin' Stingray Dies After Diagnosis of Reproductive Disease

The animal drew attention earlier this year for becoming pregnant despite having no male ray in her tank

Honeybees have a very good sense of smell.

Honeybees Can Sniff Out Lung Cancer, Scientists Suggest

New research opens the door for doctors to one day use bees as a living diagnostic tool

Painted ladies are known for making long migrations over land.

These Stunning Butterflies Flew 2,600 Miles Across the Atlantic Ocean Without Stopping

Researchers combined several lines of evidence to solve the mystery of why a group of painted ladies, which do not live in South America, were found fluttering on a beach in French Guiana

In 1881, Fanny Angelina Hesse suggested agar, a jelly-like substance she used in cooking, as a replacement for gelatin, which scientists used to study microorganisms.

Meet the Forgotten Woman Who Revolutionized Microbiology With a Simple Kitchen Staple

Fanny Angelina Hesse introduced agar to the life sciences in 1881. A trove of unpublished family papers sheds new light on her many accomplishments

Mai Fahmy captured videos of leeches jumping during two separate trips to Madagascar.

Watch Blood-Sucking Leeches Leap From Leaves and Soar Through the Air

New videos may help settle scientists' long-standing debate over whether leeches can jump

The two Hudson Bay polar bear groups are often considered indicators of how the 17 other polar bear subpopulations will fare in the future.

Time Is Running Out for the Hudson Bay Polar Bears

The southern and western subpopulations are on track to disappear as sea ice becomes too thin amid rising global temperatures

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