All Stories by Susan Milius
- Life
Deadly for bugs, perfect for bat naps
A death chamber for insects, the interior of a carnivorous pitcher plant doubles as a cozy daytime roost for small, flying woolly mammals.
- Life
Plastic-lined nests keep rivals at bay
A tangle of shopping bag scraps tells black kites in a Spanish national park that another bird’s home is not to be messed with.
- Life
Old amoebas spawn their farms
Some slime molds use a simple form of agriculture to ensure a steady food supply.
- Humans
Marking penguins for study may do harm
Metal flipper bands used to tell birds apart hamper survival and reproduction, a 10-year study finds.
- Life
Songbird’s testosterone surges at sight of thistle blooms
Seeing the right flowers in summer temperatures triggers male goldfinches’ reproductive readiness.
- Life
Aspens bust, diseased mice boom
As trees decline, populations of rodents that carry the deadly sin nombre virus are on the rise.
- Life
Spider sex play has its pluses
In the tricky world of arachnid mating, messing around with not-quite-mature females yields later benefits.
- Life
Robins reject red glowing grub
Parasitic worms induce a color change in their caterpillar victims that's literally repulsive to predators.
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Young’uns adrift on the sea
Scientists try to identify and track elusive larvae in a boundless ocean.
- Life
Flower sharing may be unsafe for bees
Wild pollinators are catching domesticated honeybee viruses, possibly by touching the same pollen.
- Humans
Google a bedbug today
With no good technological solutions, entomologists call on the public to remain eternally vigilant against a resurgent foe.
- Life
Rooting for swarm intelligence in plants
Researchers argue for a type of vegetative group decision making usually associated with humans and social animals, and go out on a limb by also proposing that information may be transmitted electrically.
