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

    Male giant water bugs win females by babysitting

    Female giant water bugs prefer males already caring for eggs, an evolutionary force for maintaining parental care.

  2. Plants

    Plants might remember with prions

    A plant protein has passed lab tests for prionlike powers as molecular memory.

  3. Plants

    Prions may help plants remember

    A plant protein has passed lab tests for prionlike powers as molecular memory.

  4. Animals

    Cave-dwelling salamander comes pigmented and pale

    Something’s funny in the family tree of pale, slinky cave salamanders.

  5. Climate

    Pollen becoming bee junk food as CO2 rises

    Rising CO2 lowers protein content in pollen, threatening nutrition for bees.

  6. Animals

    Piggybacking tadpoles are epic food beggars

    Tadpoles beg so frantically among mimic poison frogs that researchers check to see whether they’re just scamming.

  7. Life

    New habitat monitoring tools find hope for tigers

    Free tools such Google Earth Engine and Global Forest Watch show there’s still enough forest left for tigers — if it’s protected.

  8. Animals

    White-nose bat disease jumps the Rockies to Washington state

    For the first time, the bat-killing white-nose syndrome shows up west of the Rockies.

  9. Animals

    Lethal bat disease moves west

    For the first time, the bat-killing white-nose syndrome shows up west of the Rockies.

  10. Animals

    Climate change now bigger menace than forest loss for snowshoe hares

    Shorter snow seasons push climate change ahead of direct habitat loss as menace for Wisconsin snowshoe hares.

  11. Animals

    It’s an herbivore-kill-herbivore world

    Female prairie dogs killing babies of another species might keep competitors off the grass.

  12. Health & Medicine

    Efforts to control mosquitoes take on new urgency

    The major mosquito that is spreading Zika virus has quirks that make it one of the toughest to fight.