All Stories by Susan Milius
- Earth
Dirty snow may bring green burst to mountain peaks
Dust blowing in from distant deserts speeds the melting of snow and may shake up ecosystems on the slopes.
- Life
Beetle philandering doesn’t work out for the ladies
A common idea about the benefits of multiple matings for females turns out to be wrong for seed beetles.
- Health & Medicine
Downside of red-hot chili peppers
In the wild, a culinary kick comes with risks to the plant.
- Life
Hummingbird pulls Top Gun stunts
Male hummingbirds set record for extreme plunges out of the sky.
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No brainer behavior
Messages, memory, maybe even intelligence — botanists wrangle over how far plants can go.
- Life
Tickling apes reveals laughter’s origins
Roots of laughter go back at least 10 to 16 million years, study of romping apes suggests.
- Life
Phony fighters discovered among fig wasps
A newly discovered species of fig wasp has a fraction of dishonest guys with big mouthparts.
- Life
Ocean’s gazillion
A picture of past ocean life suggests a higher capacity for marine life than what modern habitats host.
- Animals
For some birds, chancy climates mean better singers
In the mockingbird family, the most accomplished musical species tend to live in treacherous climates.
- Animals
Controversial polar bear rule stands
Creature’s plight remains separate from decisions on greenhouse gas emissions.
- Life
Suppress-the-mob gene found in queen termites
Gene may help keep workers from illicit, royalty-threatening reproduction.
- Life
Ants may be the Undead
Living Argentine ant workers may carry the chemical signatures of death along with an override signal that says, "No undertaker needed yet."
