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.
Trustworthy journalism comes at a price.
Scientists and journalists share a core belief in questioning, observing and verifying to reach the truth. Science News reports on crucial research and discovery across science disciplines. We need your financial support to make it happen – every contribution makes a difference.
All Stories by Susan Milius
-
Life
Sawfish don’t saw
Spiked snouts whack prey to the bottom, helping the predator better get its mouth around dinner.
-
Life
After a breakup, coral embryos live on as clones
Even modest waves can break apart embryonic corals, but the bits that survive can grow into separate clones.
-
Life
Sardine fishery may be in peril
Cool ocean cycle, population slide evoke collapse of Pacific resource in the late 1940s.
-
Life
Old-fashioned fish regrow fins
Fish on an ancient line can regenerate lost limbs with newt-like flair, suggesting that ability was shared among ancient ancestors.
-
Humans
Food exports can drain arid regions
Many dry regions ‘export’ large amounts of water in the form of agricultural products.
-
Animals
Classic sooty-moth tale bolstered by new results
A scientist’s six-year backyard experiment strengthens the scenario for evolutionary changes due to industrial pollution.
-
Life
Plants swap chloroplasts via grafts
The energy-converting cellular organs can pass through connections, carrying genetic material with them.
-
Life
Archaeopteryx wore black
Microscopic structures in an iconic fossil feather suggest that it was the color of a crow.
-
Life
Boxwood blight invades North America
The devastating fungus has already stripped shrubbery down to sticks in Europe and New Zealand.
-
Life
Green gleam helps fish see violet
A deep-sea fish's eyes apparently use fluorescence to pick up hard-to-detect hues, researchers conclude.
-
Life
Rhino beetle’s horn may be cheap
Outrageous-looking head spikes on the male of the species may not cost much in evolutionary terms.
-
Humans
Botanists et al freed from Latin, paper
As of January 1, people who classify new plant, algae and fungus species can do it in English and online.