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

    Antarctic midge sports tiniest insect genome

    Antarctic midge‘s genetic minimalism achieved by skipping a lot of repetitive stretches.

  2. Animals

    Corals, fish know bad reefs by their whiff

    Compounds drifting off certain overgrown seaweeds discourage young corals and fish from settling in failing reefs.

  3. Animals

    Bumphead parrot fish declare their arrival with a crunch

    Months of swimming with the coral-biter bumpheads exposes the animal’s extreme digestion and also a conservation dilemma.

  4. Animals

    Seeing past the jellyfish sting

    Jellies don’t get nearly as much love as their cousins, the corals, but they deserve credit for providing homes to some creatures, dinner to others and more. They’re an integral part of the oceans.

  5. Animals

    Olinguito’s bio built by crowd-sourcing

    Crowd-sourcing fleshes out the bio of little-known raccoon relative, the olinguito.

  6. Animals

    Here’s your chance to see the last passenger pigeon

    On display for the 100th anniversary of her species’ extinction, the final passenger pigeon specimen looks pretty good.

  7. Animals

    Nematode sperm go rogue

    Worm sperm a killer when nematode species crossbreed.

  8. Animals

    Parchment worms are best pinched in the dark

    Meek tube-dwelling worms have strange glowing mucus and build papery tubes.

  9. Ecosystems

    Moose drool can undermine grass defenses

    Saliva from moose and reindeer sabotages plants’ chemical weaponry.

  10. Animals

    Termite soldiers locate battles with vibrational clues

    To locate invasions, termite soldiers listen for millisecond-long delays in vibrational distress signals sent out by other soldiers.

  11. Earth

    Bird’s-eye views of the globe highlight avian trouble spots

    Recent maps reveal trouble spots for the world’s imperiled birds.

  12. Animals

    Elephant shrews are, oddly, related to actual elephants

    A new species in the group is the smallest yet, with adults smaller than a newborn kitten.