Darren Incorvaia

Darren Incorvaia is a writer and comedian. His writing has also appeared in Scientific American, Discover Magazine, and Reductress. He has a Ph.D. in ecology, evolution, and behavior from Michigan State University. His favorite animal is all of them.

All Stories by Darren Incorvaia

  1. Climate

    In ‘Warming Up,’ the sports world’s newest opponent is climate change

    In her debut book, Madeleine Orr presents an authoritative account of climate change’s impact on sports, and how the industry can fight back.

  2. Animals

    Beneficial bacteria help these marine worms survive extreme cold

    Three species of marine worms living in Antarctic waters have beneficial relationships with bacteria that produce antifreeze proteins.

  3. Health & Medicine

    A malaria drug could be used to treat PCOS, a common hormone disorder

    Artemisinin is known to be effective against malaria, lupus, cancer and now possibly polycystic ovarian syndrome.

  4. Health & Medicine

    A new gel stops mice from getting too drunk

    The iron-milk substance can break down alcohol fast and protect against liver damage in mice. Scientists hope to test the gel in people next.

  5. Animals

    Getting wild mosquitoes back to the lab alive takes a custom backpack

    The new low-tech transportation method could help scientists in Africa assess if malaria-carrying mosquitoes are resistant to a common insecticide.

  6. Animals

    This orangutan used a medicinal plant on his face wound

    Rakus the orangutan appeared to be treating a cut to his face with a plant that’s also used in traditional human medicine.

  7. Animals

    Hibernating bumblebee queens have a superpower: Surviving for days underwater

    After some bumblebee queens were accidentally submerged in water and survived, researchers found them to be surprisingly tolerant of flooding.

  8. Animals

    By fluttering its wings, this bird uses body language to tell its mate ‘after you’

    New observations suggest that Japanese tits gesture to communicate complex messages — a rare ability in the animal kingdom and a first seen in birds.

  9. Animals

    A decades-old mystery has been solved with the help of newfound bee species

    Masked bees in Australia and French Polynesia have long-lost relatives in Fiji, suggesting that the bees’ ancestors island hopped.

  10. Plants

    On hot summer days, this thistle is somehow cool to the touch

    In hot Spanish summers, the thistle Carlina corymbosa is somehow able to cool itself substantially below air temperature.

  11. Plants

    This weird fern is the first known plant that turns its dead leaves into new roots

    Cyathea rojasiana tree ferns seem to thrive in Panama’s Quebrada Chorro forest by turning dead leaves into roots that seek out nutrient-rich soil.

  12. Life

    Some honeybees in Italy regularly steal pollen off the backs of bumblebees

    New observations suggest that honeybees stealing pollen from bumblebees may be a crime of opportunity, though documentation of it remains rare.