Life

Plants

Biggest Bloom: Superflower changes branch on family tree

The plants with the world's largest flowers, the rafflesias, need to be moved closer to poinsettias on the family tree of plant life.

Ecosystems

Alien Alert: Shrimpy invader raises big concerns

A shrimplike European invader just discovered in the Great Lakes could prove ecologically disruptive to populations of native lake animals.

Animals

Guys Roll Eyes: Fish show some eyeball to their rivals

During breeding season, male fish roll their eyes to send a quick "Back off, punk" signal to other males, researchers say.

Paleontology

Paleotrickery: A lengthy lineage for leaf-mimicking insects

Species in one group of insects have escaped the hungry eye of predators by looking like foliage and moving like swaying leaves for at least 47 million years, a new fossil find suggests.

Ecosystems

Most Bees Live Alone

Concern about honeybee shortages has inspired new interest in bees that lead solitary lives and don't bother storing honey.

Animals

No-Dad Dragons: Komodos reproduce without males

Two female Komodo dragons in zoos have startled their keepers by laying viable eggs without males, possibly as a last resort at a time when mates are in increasingly short supply.

Paleontology

Mammals started flying when birds did

The first gliding mammal winged through forests at least 70 million years earlier than scientists had previously presumed, a new fossil shows. The specimen dates from about 150 million years ago, during the time when birds were developing flight. ANCIENT GLIDER. Volaticotherium antiquus was gliding through ancient forests 150 million years ago. The creature weighed […]

Animals

Extreme Tongue: Bat excels at saying ‘Aah’

The new champion among mammals at sticking out its tongue is a small bat from Ecuador.

Ecosystems

Going Native: Diverse grassland plants edge out crops as biofuel

Biofuels made from mixtures of plants native to prairies can yield more net energy than do biofuels derived from corn and soybeans.

Animals

Ebola Die-Off: Gorilla losses tallied in central Africa

Between 2001 and 2005, Ebola virus killed at least 5,500 lowland gorillas in the Republic of the Congo.

Animals

New Butterfly: High-alpine species from low-life parents

Little bluish butterflies high in the Sierra Nevada could be one of the few animal species to have arisen from crossbreeding of two other species.

Animals

Fighting Styles: Gene gives flies his, her conflict moves

Switching forms of one gene can make a male fruit fly fight like a girl, and vice versa.