Susan Milius

Susan Milius

Life Sciences Writer

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. Not Just Hitchhikers

    Salmonella and other human pathogens on vegetables aren't just riding along like casual smears of dirt; they're moving in and setting up housekeeping.

  2. Animals

    Eat a Killer: Snake dines safely with strategic delays

    An Australian snake kills dangerous frogs then waits for their defensive chemicals to degrade before eating them.

  3. Animals

    Crowcam: Camera on bird’s tail captures bird ingenuity

    Video cameras attached to tropical crows record the birds' use of plant stems as tools to dig out food.

  4. Animals

    Tough-guy bluebirds need a frontier

    As western bluebirds recolonize Montana, the most aggressive males move in first, paving the way for milder-mannered dads to take over.

  5. Plants

    Stalking the Green Meat Eaters

    Pitcher plants in a New England bog hold little ecosystems in their leaves, and also act as indicators of the bog's ecological health.

  6. Jungle Down There: What’s a kelp forest doing in the tropics?

    Kelp, algae that grow in cold water, turn out to be surprisingly widespread in tropical seas.

  7. Animals

    Honeybee mobs smother big hornets

    Honeybees gang up on an attacking hornet, killing it by blocking its breathing.

  8. Animals

    Hybrid Power: Salamander invader ups survival of rare cousin

    Mixed offspring of the endangered California tiger salamander and an invasive cousin survive better than either pure-bred species, raising tricky questions for conservationists.

  9. Animals

    Fish Switch: Salmon make baby trout after species, sex swap

    Salmon implanted with trout reproductive tissue bred to produce a generation of normal rainbow trout.

  10. Animals

    Hive Scourge? Virus linked to recent honeybee die-off

    A poorly understood virus seems to have a connection to the recent widespread demise of honeybees.

  11. Rethinking Bad Taste

    Many animals use mimicry to gain a competitive advantage, but are there degrees of cheating?

  12. Animals

    High Volume, Low Fidelity: Birds are less faithful as sounds blare

    In noisy surroundings, normally faithful female zebra finches flirt with unfamiliar males.