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 waters may shelter wrecks from shipworms

    Ocean currents and polar front form 'moat' that keeps destructive mollusks at bay.

  2. Animals

    Noise may disrupt a bat’s dinner

    Mechanical cacophony can drown out the whispers of moving insect prey.

  3. Animals

    Climate change may bring dramatic behavior shifts

    Shifting temperatures and rainfall are expected to alter animal lifestyles from the poles to the tropics.

  4. Animals

    Eye-tracking cameras show peahens’ wandering gaze

    Data show that female birds are not so riveted by their suitors’ magnificence

  5. Life

    Microbes can draw the line between species

    Wasps' gut inhabitants can kill or save crossbreeds.

  6. Animals

    Fattened livers prep white sharks for extreme migrations

    The organ's reserves enable a long journey from waters off California to Hawaii and back, tracking data suggest.

  7. Animals

    Hawkmoths squeak their genitals at threatening bats

    Sounds of an approaching predator inspire ultrasonic rasping in insect prey.

  8. Animals

    Highlights from the Evolution 2013 meeting

    Selections from the meeting include a natural fish experiment, terrapins' light displays and why a variety of eye colors persist in people, presented June 21-25 in Snowbird, Utah.

  9. Animals

    Gut microbes may put barrier between species

    Wiping out gut bacteria in wasps saves crossbred offspring from death, suggesting that microbes may play a role in speciation.

  10. Animals

    Cicadas’ odd life cycle poses evolutionary conundrums

    Scientists are getting an idea about the odd family tree of periodical cicadas, how the insects synchronize their life cycles and why they breed side-by-side with others unsuitable for mating.

  11. Animals

    In dark fishing spiders, males’ postmating nap is permanent

    Species prepares for two pairings but goes into a fatal coma after a single encounter.

  12. Animals

    Butterflies’ tidy drinking tricks

    The long tube of the insects' mouthparts is fluid friendly only at the tip.