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

    White-tailed deer have their own form of malaria

    The otherwise well-studied white-tailed deer turns out to carry the first malaria parasite discovered in any deer.

  2. Animals

    Harvester ants are restless, enigmatic architects

    Florida harvester ants dig complex, curly nests over, then leave and do it again.

  3. Animals

    Why some birds sing elaborate songs in the winter

    Several obvious hypotheses fail to explain why great reed warblers sing in winter.

  4. Animals

    Devils Hole pupfish may not have been so isolated for so long

    New genetic study questions Devils Hole pupfish’s supposed history of long isolation.

  5. Animals

    Christmas tree worms have eyes that breathe, gills that see

    Christmas tree worms and other fan worms have improvised some of the oddest eyes.

  6. Agriculture

    Just adding pollinators could boost small-farm yields

    Adding pollinators could start closing gap in yields for small farms.

  7. Life

    Search is on for missing pieces in puzzle of male genital diversity

    The debate over extreme diversity of male genitalia needs to rethink the female side. And the landscape.

  8. Environment

    PCB levels still high in Europe’s killer whales, smaller dolphins

    PCBs banned for decades still show up at extremely high concentrations in Europe’s killer whales and other dolphins.

  9. Animals

    The fine art of hunting microsnails

    Flotation, tact and limestone all prove vital to the quest for microsnails.

  10. Paleontology

    Saber-toothed salmon teeth more like tusks than fangs

    Saber-toothed salmon teeth may not have been positioned like fangs at all.

  11. Animals

    When tarantulas grow blue hair

    Azure coloring is surprisingly common in the spiders, though they themselves are colorblind.

  12. Climate

    Arctic passageways let species mingle

    People aren’t the only animals likely to use passages that open up as the Arctic melts.