162 Items Tagged

Scientists at Work

On the nesting colony platform, a common tern watches over its chicks beside tufts of artificial grass that mimic the birds' traditional nesting habitat.

Maryland's Rare Seabirds Get a Life Raft and Babysitters

Scientists don bike helmets and dodge bird poop to care for a colony of endangered common terns.

Ashley Stimpson June 6, 2023

On Tuckernuck Island, the American giant millipede is in danger of losing its head. Scientists don't know what is responsible for the unprecedented number of decapitations.

The Mystery of the Headless Millipedes

Every summer, hundreds of millipedes are murdered on one small Massachusetts island.

William von Herff May 26, 2023

This New Species Is a Fish out of Water by Choice

The Juan Deriba killifish, found in a tiny area of Bolivia, jumps out of water to evade threats.

James Hall May 23, 2023

The Bar Hill Comb was part of a collection of more than 280,000 artifacts recovered in Cambridgeshire, England, between 2016 and 2018.

In England, Bar Hill's 'Skull Comb' Is an Iron Age Mystery

The unusual artifact hints at how ancient communities may have treated their dead.

Line Sidonie Talla Mafotsing May 17, 2023

At the high-tech military food center colloquially known as Natick Lab, R&D achievements include a vacuum microwave-dried cheeseburger (center top) and other shelf-stable meals.

How to Feed an Army

Go behind the scenes at the Massachusetts military lab engineering the fuel of the future.

Diana Hubbell May 12, 2023

The last wild Round Island hurricane palm stands nearly 30 feet tall, towering above other palms.

This Mauritius Palm Is the Last of Its Kind in the Wild

Dedicated scientists are going to extremes to save this rare plant from extinction.

Ryan Truscott May 10, 2023

Digitizing gravestones from the colonial era preserves them for future study and makes them more accessible, but it also raises questions about how to study this period of American history.

Burial Hill's Historic Gravestones Are Coming to Your Screen

Digitizing markers at the Massachusetts cemetery makes them more accessible.

Anya Gruber May 8, 2023

The basket star (<em>Gorgonocephalus eucnemis</em>), on display at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, is a deep sea species related to the sea stars seen in more shallow waters.

How to Recreate the Deepest, Darkest Ocean

Revealing the unseen world under Monterey Bay.

Kevin McLean April 25, 2023

Scroll down to see a full-scale pain index, with Justin Schmidt's own poetic descriptions.

Ranking the Pain of Stinging Insects, From ‘Spicy’ to ‘Shockingly Electric'

Remembering one passionate entomologist who poetically described and classified more than 70 species' painful stings.

Lauren Young April 24, 2023

Podcast: Fairy Circles

An enchanting natural phenomenon in a daunting place.

The Podcast Team April 12, 2023

The trove of spices was found in the stern of the ship by Brendan Foley and a team of archaeologists.

How Did a Medieval Spice Cabinet Survive 500 Years Underwater?

Exotic saffron, black pepper, ginger, cloves, and more offer a look into how Scandinavian royalty lived.

Line Sidonie Talla Mafotsing March 28, 2023

This Arctic Ichthyosaur Should Not Exist

A marine reptile fossil from Svalbard challenges ideas about evolution and Earth’s greatest mass extinction.

Gemma Tarlach March 21, 2023

This photo, captured by researchers Matthew Gardner and David Pereira on Grand Bahama in 2018, is one of the last-known sightings of the Bahama nuthatch. It is believed the bird was wiped out by Hurricane Dorian in 2019.

The Last Days of the Bahama Nuthatch

What's it like to "very probably" witness extinction?

Shoshi Parks March 15, 2023

Army ants, which travel in massive units, play a critical role in ecosystem health.

How a Lone Researcher Faced Down Millions of Army Ants on the March in Ecuador

Renowned entomologist Frank Nischk remembers when the determined insects tried to invade a field station.

Frank Nischk March 1, 2023

Navarino Island, in the Tierra del Fuego archipelago at the southern tip of South America, where people have thrived since the end of the last ice age. Archaeologists scouring the landscape are bringing the past to life—and it’s richer and more complex than has been imagined.

The Rise of the Yaghan, Indigenous People of Tierra del Fuego Once Declared 'Extinct'

Long relegated to historical oblivion, this reinvigorated community is now pursuing deeper stories about their ancestors.

Jude Isabella February 21, 2023

In the World of Animal Courtship, These Males Go to Extremes

For some species, mating season means detachable penises, urine-based perfumes, and ear-splitting declarations of love.

Ashley Stimpson February 9, 2023

Australia's northern quolls "readily bite" anything within reach, requiring careful, firm handling for the safety of both quoll and human.

Studying Australia's Feisty Northern Quolls Requires Beef Chum and Backpacks

Scientists fitted the famously bitey marsupials with tiny accelerometers to learn their secrets.

Gemma Tarlach February 8, 2023

The Large Wave Flume at Oregon's O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory hosts an experiment in innovative coastal protection.

The Oregon Lab Where Scientists Are Riding the Waves to a Brighter Future

At the O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Lab in Corvallis, massive simulators allow researchers to test innovative ideas about sustainable energy, saving coastlines, and more.

Annalee Newitz February 3, 2023