Life

  1. Ecosystems

    Changing seasons inspire science

    Researchers are tapping into the wealth of observations being made by citizen scientists nationwide. One of the largest repositories of such data is maintained by the USA National Phenology Network.

    By
  2. Plants

    The Man Who Planted Trees

    Lost Groves, Champion Trees, and an Urgent Plan to Save the Planet by Jim Robbins

    By
  3. Animals

    Mr. Hornaday’s War

    How a Peculiar Victorian Zookeeper Waged a Lonely Crusade for Wildlife That Changed the World by Stefan Bechtel.

    By
  4. Neuroscience

    Hurt Blocker

    The next big pain drug may soothe sensory firestorms without side effects.

    By
  5. Animals

    Animals on the Move

    Worldwide — on land, in the sea and in rivers, streams and lakes — wildlife is responding to rising temperatures.

    By
  6. Life

    Grasshoppers’ terror outlives them

    After an existence plagued by predatory spiders, the insects pass into oblivion, leaving a legacy of impoverished soil.

    By
  7. Life

    Calcium offers clues in mass extinction

    Ocean acidification during Permian period may have caused the Great Dying.

    By
  8. Life

    You have grandpa’s chromosome tips

    Older fathers pass more gene-protecting DNA to their paternal grandkids.

    By
  9. Life

    Invasive mite worsens honeybee viruses

    Once-obscure deformed wing virus swept to prominence in honeybee colonies in Hawaiian islands as invasive pest arrived.

    By
  10. Life

    Microbes flourish under Arctic sea ice

    Oceanographic expedition surprised to find photosynthetic microorganisms thriving under frozen surface.

    By
  11. Animals

    How a mosquito survives a raindrop hit

    Lightweight insects can ride a water droplet, as long as they separate from it before hitting the ground.

    By
  12. Life

    Ancient birds wiped out huge insects

    Competition in the air trumped the advantage of extra atmospheric oxygen.

    By