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

    Pregnant male pipefish not so great at giving embryos oxygen

    During male pregnancy, pipefish embryos can get stunted by low oxygen in dad’s brood pouch.

  2. Animals

    Octopuses can ‘see’ with their skin

    Eyes aren’t the only cephalopod body parts with light-catching molecules.

  3. Animals

    Vampire squid take mommy breaks

    The vampire squid again defies its sensationalist name with a life in the slow lane.

  4. Life

    Male stag beetles face weighty problem for flight

    Male stag beetles need enormous mandibles to fend off other males and find a mate, but computer simulations show that the giant jaws make running and flying very difficult.

  5. Animals

    Ants snap jaws, shoot skyward, escape death

    Emergency trap jaw launchings help some ants pass death tests.

  6. Animals

    Deepwater dweller is first known warm-hearted fish

    The opah, a deep-diving fish, can keep much of its body warmer than its surroundings, making it similar to warm-blooded birds and mammals.

  7. Animals

    Nighttime light pollution sabotages sex pheromones of moths

    Artificial lighting at night can trick female moths into releasing skimpy, odd-smelling sex pheromones.

  8. Animals

    Pruning bug genitals revives puzzle of extra-long males

    Surgical approach highlights question of length mismatch in his and hers morphologies.

  9. Microbes

    Possible nearest living relatives to complex life found in seafloor mud

    New phylum of sea-bottom archaea microbes could be closest living relatives yet found to the eukaryote domain of complex life that includes people.

  10. Plants

    How slow plants make ridiculous seeds

    Coco de mer palms scrimp, save and take not quite forever creating the world’s largest seeds.

  11. Animals

    Bees may like neonicotinoids, but some may be harmed

    Two high-profile tests raise worries that bees can’t avoid neonicotinoid pesticides and that wild species are at special risk.

  12. Animals

    Finland’s brown bears on surprise fast track to recover diversity

    Brown bears in southern Finland show surprisingly fast improvements in genetic diversity and connections with other bears.