Jake Buehler

Jake Buehler is a freelance science writer, covering natural history, wildlife conservation and Earth's splendid biodiversity, from salamanders to sequoias. He has a master's degree in zoology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

All Stories by Jake Buehler

  1. Life

    Fish poop exposes what eats the destructive crown-of-thorns starfish

    During population booms, crown-of-thorns can devastate coral reefs. Identifying predators of the coral polyp slurpers could help protect the reefs.

  2. Humans

    Malaria parasites may have their own circadian rhythms

    Plasmodium parasites don’t depend on a host for an internal clock, studies suggest.

  3. Ecosystems

    Warming water can create a tropical ecosystem, but a fragile one

    Tropical fish in a power plant’s warm discharge disappeared with the plant’s shutdown, giving insight into ecosystems’ reaction to temperature shifts.

  4. Animals

    Here’s why a hero shrew has the sturdiest spine of any mammal

    The hero shrew’s rigid backbone is among the weirdest mammal spines, its incredible strength aided by fortified vertebrae bones.

  5. Animals

    Seabirds may find food at sea by flying in a massive, kilometers-wide arc

    Radar shows that seabird groups can fly together in giant “rake” formations. If they are cooperating to find food, it’s on a scale not yet seen in the birds.

  6. Life

    This is the first deep-sea fish known to be a mouthbreeder

    Scientists found over 500 eggs attached to the inside of a parazen fish’s mouth.

  7. Animals

    One blind, aquatic salamander may have sat mostly still for seven years

    Olms may live for about century and appear to spend their time moving sparingly.

  8. Life

    Wolves regurgitate blueberries for their pups to eat

    The behavior, documented for the first time, suggests that fruit may be more important to wolves than previously thought.

  9. Life

    A ‘bonanza’ of new bird species was found on remote Indonesian islands

    Bird discoveries typically come in a trickle. But in a remote corner of Southeast Asia, 10 newly described songbird species and subspecies were found.

  10. Life

    Russian foxes bred for tameness may not be the domestication story we thought

    Foxes bred for tameness also developed floppy ears and curly tails, known as “domestication syndrome.” But what if the story isn’t what it seems?

  11. Life

    A tree in Brazil’s arid northeast rains nectar from its flowers

    Northeast Brazil is home to a tree that entices bat pollinators by making a “sweet rain” of nectar.

  12. Animals

    Flipping a molecular switch can turn warrior ants into foragers

    Toggling one protein soon after hatching makes Florida carpenter ants turn from fighting to hunting for food.