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. Life

    Sawfish don’t saw

    Spiked snouts whack prey to the bottom, helping the predator better get its mouth around dinner.

  2. 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.

  3. Life

    Sardine fishery may be in peril

    Cool ocean cycle, population slide evoke collapse of Pacific resource in the late 1940s.

  4. 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.

  5. Humans

    Food exports can drain arid regions

    Many dry regions ‘export’ large amounts of water in the form of agricultural products.

  6. 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.

  7. Life

    Plants swap chloroplasts via grafts

    The energy-converting cellular organs can pass through connections, carrying genetic material with them.

  8. Life

    Archaeopteryx wore black

    Microscopic structures in an iconic fossil feather suggest that it was the color of a crow.

  9. Life

    Boxwood blight invades North America

    The devastating fungus has already stripped shrubbery down to sticks in Europe and New Zealand.

  10. 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.

  11. 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.

  12. 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.