BIOLOGY

Nope, that's not a snake. It's a glass lizard.

5 Differences Between Snakes and Legless Lizards

If a limbless reptile like the one above crosses your path, it’s obviously a snake, right? Maybe not.

Fig Pollination Is Incredible (And Probably Results In You Eating Mummified Wasps)

The fruit and its wasp have been evolving together for millions of years.

11 Naturally Selected Facts About the Galápagos Islands

In 1835, Charles Darwin arrived at the island chain that would shape his theory of natural selection.

How Cyanobacteria Created (and Nearly Destroyed) Life on Earth

A good reminder that not every life form is a fan of oxygen.

岡部碩道 via Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

Scientists Find Genetic Root of Limb Regrowth

In the three species they studied, the ability to regenerate lost limbs has the same genetic mechanism.

Some Sloths Are More Slothful Than Others

One species has the lowest field metabolic rate ever recorded in a mammal.

Richard Bartz via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-2.5

Why Worker Bees Don’t Have Babies

Scientists have identified a cellular pathway in workers that makes them susceptible to their queen’s fertility-destroying pheromones.

Autoimmune Diseases May Have a Silver Lining

The same type of antibodies that cause illnesses like multiple sclerosis and lupus may also lead to a longer life.

Scientists Have Found a Weird Purple Orb on the California Seafloor

Researchers were ready to fight a crab over rights to the mysterious prize.

Michael Ocampo via Flickr Creative Commons // CC BY 2.0

How Tomatoes Fend Off Parasitic Vines

This tomato plant can sense and defend itself against invading plants.

Scientists Study the Complex Roles of Gases in Our Bodies

Researchers say these gases “affect our brain, mind, and behavior.”

Sideways Swimming Is More Efficient for Hammerhead Sharks

It may look silly, but it serves an important purpose.

Scientist Says Our Oldest Ancestor May Have Been Only ‘Half Alive’

The earliest known ancestor of all living things made its home on a hydrothermal vent, subsisting on hydrogen and metal.

Scientists Discover That Lichens Are Symbiotic Threesomes

We've misunderstood them for well over a century.

David Adamski, Karina Boege, Jean-Francois Landry, Jae-Cheon Sohn via Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

17 Species Named After Star Wars Characters

There are Star Wars fans everywhere, including among the scientists who study life on Earth.

Why Is Jet Lag Worse After You've Traveled East?

Researchers use math to explain why jet lag happens and how travel direction plays a role.

15 Unflappable Facts About Mallards

What do you know about them beyond “They’re the ones with the green heads”?

8 Times Very Different Animals Evolved Very Similar Traits

It's called convergent evolution. When you have a good idea, you stick with it.

Scientists Recreate Pac-Man With Microscopic Organisms

You'd need a microscope to watch this game play out.

Could Artificial Bones One Day Replace Steel?

Bones created in a lab could provide a low-carbon alternative.

This Blind Bird Expert Can Identify 3000 Distinct Calls

Juan Pablo Culasso has turned his perfect pitch into a career in nature recording.

Scientists Estimate Earth Is Home to One Trillion Microbial Species

Researchers say only 1/1000th of 1 percent have been identified to date.

Don’t Have a Garden? Regrow Vegetables in Your Kitchen

Here's a good reason to avoid ditching those veggie scraps.

17 Noisy Facts About 17-Year Cicadas

In the spring of 2021, the cicadas of Brood X will surface in the Eastern U.S. for the first time in 17 years.

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