Susan Milius

Susan Milius

Life Sciences Writer

Life sciences writer Susan Milius has been writing about botany, zoology and ecology for Science News since the last millennium. She worked at diverse publications before breaking into science writing and editing. After stints on the staffs of The Scientist, Science, International Wildlife and United Press International, she joined Science News. Three of Susan's articles have been selected to appear in editions of The Best American Science Writing.

All Stories by Susan Milius

  1. Animals

    Anybody know this fish?

    A 2-month marine-biodiversity survey of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge concluded this week, bringing home much data and some novel specimens.

  2. Ecosystems

    Corals without Boarders

    The last decade has been a great era for discovering corals in the deep ocean, but a United Nations report warns that these cold, dark reefs urgently need protection.

  3. Gutless Wonder: New symbiosis lets worm feed on whale bones

    A newly discovered genus of marine worm can take nourishment from sunken whale skeletons, thanks to a previously unknown form of symbiosis.

  4. Animals

    Trail Mix: Espionage among the bees

    Tests with two kinds of stingless bees suggest that the more aggressive species uses scent-based espionage to target raids on the milder species' food.

  5. Ecosystems

    Deep-Sea Cukes Can’t Avoid the Weather: El Niño changes life 2.5 miles down

    A 14-year study of a spot 2.5 miles underwater off the California coast shows short-term links between surface events and an abundance of deep-water creatures.

  6. Animals

    A first for mammals: Tropical hibernating

    The fat-tailed lemur, the first tropical mammal documented to hibernate, exploits local heat spikes to save energy during the long snooze.

  7. Animals

    Sparrows Cheat on Sleep: Migratory birds are up at night but still stay sharp

    During their fall migration season, white-crowned sparrows sleep only about a third as much as they do at other times of the year without becoming slow-witted.

  8. Agriculture

    Plastic vs. Plants: Mulch method changes tomato’s gene activity

    A suite of at least 10 genes in a tomato plant behaves differently depending on the farmer's mulch-and-fertilizer routine.

  9. Plants

    Rewriting the Nitrogen Story: Plant cycles nutrient forward and backward

    For the first time, a green plant has been found to break down nitrogen-containing compounds into the readily usable form of nitrates, a job usually done by microbes.

  10. Animals

    Ultrasound alarms by ground squirrels

    Richardson's ground squirrels may occasionally use ultrasound when calling out in response to a disturbance.

  11. Animals

    Why does a buddy help another male flirt?

    The sidekick male in the two-bird courtship display of lance-tailed manakins has to leave when the mating starts but may reap delayed benefits in real estate and performance practice.

  12. Animals

    Farmer ant species may have lost all its males

    A fungus-growing ant may be the first ant species known to have no power of sexual reproduction.