Ecosystems

  1. Animals

    Lethal bat disease moves west

    For the first time, the bat-killing white-nose syndrome shows up west of the Rockies.

    By Susan Milius
  2. Animals

    White-nose bat disease jumps the Rockies to Washington state

    For the first time, the bat-killing white-nose syndrome shows up west of the Rockies.

    By Susan Milius
  3. Animals

    Female burying beetle uses chemical cue to douse love life

    While raising their young, burying beetle mothers produce a chemical compound that limits their male partner’s desire to mate.

    By Sarah Schwartz
  4. Ecosystems

    Australian fairy circles first to be found outside Africa

    Strange patterns of grassland bald spots called fairy circles show up in Western Australia.

    By Susan Milius
  5. Ecosystems

    FDA predicts no significant environmental impact from GM mosquitoes

    The FDA has taken a step in the process of deciding whether to allow the first test release in the United States of genetically modified mosquitoes to fight diseases such as Zika.

    By Susan Milius
  6. Plants

    How to keep seagrasses as happy as a clam

    Drought can do more damage to seagrass meadows if their partnership with clams break down.

    By Susan Milius
  7. Oceans

    Swirls of plankton decorate the Arabian Sea

    The dinoflagellate Noctiluca scintillans is taking over in the Arabian Sea, posing a potential threat to its ecosystem.

    By Sarah Schwartz
  8. Animals

    Mite-virus alliance could be bringing down honeybees

    Parasitic mites and a virus have a mutually beneficial alliance while attacking honeybees.

    By Sarah Schwartz
  9. Oceans

    Magnetism from underwater power cables doesn’t deter sea life

    High-voltage power cables that ferry electricity across the seafloor do not negatively impact local fish and crabs, new studies show.

    By Thomas Sumner
  10. Astronomy

    In all sorts of circumstances, life finds a way

    Editor in Chief discusses the new marine habitats formed by human pollution and the alarming rise of the Zika virus.

    By Eva Emerson
  11. Earth

    Ocean’s plastics offer a floating fortress to a mess of microbes

    Microbes take up residence on ocean plastics, potentially causing changes in ocean environments.

    By Chris Samoray
  12. Animals

    Harvester ants are restless, enigmatic architects

    Florida harvester ants dig complex, curly nests over, then leave and do it again.

    By Susan Milius