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. Plants

    Tannosome

    A newly discovered structure where mouth-puckering compounds called tannins form inside plant cells.

  2. Animals

    Comb jelly immune system can spot old enemies

    Animal at base of family tree could help researchers understand the evolution of immunity.

  3. Animals

    Mothballs, rubbing alcohol score poorly in tests of DIY bedbug control

    Mattress encasement, dry ice in bags, hot clothes dryers do help control infestation.

  4. Animals

    Sea slug mating features a stab in the head

    Newly discovered hermaphroditic sea slug deploys specialized needle-thin organ for injections near the eyes.

  5. Animals

    Pink armadillos ain’t your Texas critters

    It’s a real animal, the smallest armadillo species in the world. At about 100 grams, it would fit in your hands.

  6. Life

    Morel mushroom may grow crop of its own

    A fungus could be a farmer itself, sowing, cultivating and harvesting bacteria.

  7. Animals

    Common pesticides change odds in ant fights

    Species’ combat success can rise or fall after repeated exposure to a common neonicotinoid insecticide.

  8. Plants

    Single-sex flowers release his, hers fragrances

    Growing on the same tree, male blooms smell different from female blooms in certain tropical plant species.

  9. Animals

    The colorful lives of squid

    Your calamari, it turns out, may have come from a temporary transvestite with rainbows in its armpits.

  10. Animals

    Amphibian killer forces immune-cell suicides

    Fungal menace to frogs and their kin shuts down key parts of the animals’ defenses.

  11. Animals

    Lurking males lead to hard-to-fertilize mouse eggs

    Mixed-sex society raises resistance to sperm in what may be a long-running arms race between the sexes over fertilization.

  12. Animals

    Hibernating turtles don’t slip into a coma

    Winterized red-eared sliders shut down their lungs but spring into action when they see light.