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. Bacteria make locust-swarm signal

    A pheromone that helps drive locusts into a swarm comes from bacteria in their gut.

  2. What’s learning to a grasshopper?

    Learning the taste of nutritious food pays off in a boost to fitness, even for a grasshopper.

  3. Tree pollination needs male-only rot

    A fungus that attacks only the male flowers on the chempedak fruit tree seems to be the edible reward for pollinators—the first fungus discovered to play such a role in pollination.

  4. Animals

    Pregnant—and Still Macho

    Some of the basic theories of sexual behavior and sexual selection are getting attention thanks to a burst of new studies in the topsy-turvy social world of the seahorse, where the males get pregnant.

  5. Animals

    Hormone still rules no-tadpole frogs

    Coqui frogs may skip the tadpole stage, but within the egg, they undergo a metamorphosis ruled by thyroid hormone.

  6. Corn Defenses: Bitten plants deploy gut-rotting enzyme

    Some corn varieties that arose on the Caribbean island of Antigua defend themselves with chemical attacks that leave insect gut linings in tatters.

  7. Save Our Sounds

    Some 14 libraries around the world have built up substantial collections of natural sounds, from bird songs to fish hums.

  8. Is that salamander virus flying?

    Scientists searching for the carrier of the iridovirus causing a salamander disease have dismissed frogs and fish, but not birds.

  9. Animals

    Singing frog in China evokes whales, primates

    A frog in China warbles and flutes with such versatility that its high-pitched calls sound like those of birds or whales.

  10. Bt broccoli test: Refuges cut pest resistance

    The first field test of a strategy for controlling insect resistance in a crop engineered to carry genes from the pesticide-producing bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis confirms the value of refuges in which some insects live without pesticide exposure.

  11. Animals

    Ant Enforcers: To call in punishment, top ant smears rival

    In Brazilian ant colonies where a female has to fight her way to the top, she stays in power through some judicious gang violence.

  12. Animals

    Blame winter for the vanishing sparrows

    Changes in winter farming practices may help explain a puzzling drop in number of rural house sparrows in southern England.