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

    The real vampire squid

  2. Life

    New frontiers for coyotes may bring more Lyme disease

    Forget the deer. Maybe it's coyotes on the move that can explain the recent increase in Lyme disease.

  3. Life

    Peacocks ruffle feathers, make a rumble

    New recordings reveal that male birds use infrasound, emitting low-pitch sounds detected by peers but inaudible to human ears.

  4. Life

    Chicks do worse in noisy nests

    Baby bluebirds, and their parents, appear to have trouble communicating over the racket made by nearby humans.

  5. Life

    Invasive mite worsens honeybee viruses

    Once-obscure deformed wing virus swept to prominence in honeybee colonies in Hawaiian islands as invasive pest arrived.

  6. Animals

    How a mosquito survives a raindrop hit

    Lightweight insects can ride a water droplet, as long as they separate from it before hitting the ground.

  7. Life

    Blue-green algae release chemical suspected in some amphibian deformities

    Retinoic acid levels high in waterways rich in cyanobacteria blooms.

  8. Life

    How not to eat the wrong frog

    Panamanian bats use an array of senses to keep from ingesting poison prey.

  9. Life

    Delay of bloom blamed on climate change

    Flowers that appear immune to global warming in spring may simply be taking a cue from the previous warmer autumn.

  10. Life

    Climate change miscues may shrink species’ outer limits

    Ecological partnerships are getting out of sync especially at high latitudes, a study of hummingbirds suggests.

  11. Animals

    Better bird nesting also good for giant manta rays

    Disrupting tree canopies on a Pacific atoll discourages big fish off shore through a long chain of ecological consequences.

  12. Life

    Culture results when chimps get cracking

    Adjacent groups in Africa follow different traditions when it comes to opening nuts.