Biology

Apr 29th, 2026 - The Florida Everglades has a snake problem. And while you'll find plenty of different types of snakes slithering through the marshlands and waters of the region, there's one visitor that is especially reviled in the Sunshine State, and it may not be for the reason you think. The Burmese python has become a major problem in Florida due to its invasive nature, and it's ruining the ecosystem for Florida's native critters. But, experts think they may have found an unusual solution to the problem. ... [Read More]

Apr 29th, 2026 - Follow Earth on Google The platypus already seems like an evolutionary oddball. It lays eggs, has a bill like a duck, and senses the world in ways no other mammal does. But its past may be even stranger. New fossils from South Australia reveal a new species of ancient platypus that still had teeth – something modern platypuses lost long ago. The find is giving scientists a rare look at how this unusual animal evolved, and why its basic design has stayed almost unchanged for tens of ... [Read More]

Apr 29th, 2026 - NATIONAL REPORT—Agencies and utilities frequently promote replacing lawns with xeric landscapes, artificial turf, or gravel, often framing turfgrass removal as the most straightforward solution for reducing outdoor water use. These efforts have promoted turf removal as a water-saving strategy, but they overlook the important role turfgrass systems play in maintaining soil carbon storage and supporting urban carbon sequestration. Managed turfgrass systems represent one of the most ... [Read More]

Apr 29th, 2026 - Follow Earth on Google Today's octopuses are usually imagined as clever, elusive animals – the sort that vanish into cracks, change color, and stay just out of reach.  But new research suggests their distant ancestors may have lived very differently. Instead of hiding from larger hunters, some of the earliest octopuses may have been enormous predators that sat right at the top of the marine food chain. By studying fossil jaws from the Late Cretaceous, researchers from Hokkaido ... [Read More]

Apr 29th, 2026 - The bizarre vertical flight pattern has long puzzled experts but new research reveals why it may play a crucial role in the insect's survival O n a spring evening along the banks of the River Thames, thousands of mayflies can be seen engaging in what may be one of the world's oldest dances. In the fading light, the males make a steep vertical climb, flip over and float back to Earth – wings and tail outstretched in a skydiving posture so as to drop slowly through the sky. Mayflies are ... [Read More]

Apr 29th, 2026 - Follow Earth on Google The Amazon rainforest often feels timeless. Dense canopies stretch across the horizon, and life pulses through every layer. Yet beneath this green expanse lies a human story that began long before modern science arrived. It is a story written in soil. Researchers have turned their attention to a rare type of earth known as Amazonian dark earth, or terra preta. Created centuries ago by Indigenous communities, this soil still holds an unusual ability to support plant life. ... [Read More]

Apr 28th, 2026 - Protecting Wild Animals Has Never Been More Urgent. But There's a Reason It Can Be Harder Than It Seems. Ineffective "bat bridges" in the U.K. have something to teach us. This essay is adapted from  Beyond Belief: How Evidence Shows What Really Works , by Helen Pearson . Copyright © 2026 by the author and reprinted with permission of Princeton University Press. Near the border of Norfolk in England, some weird-looking wire bridges span a busy road. They consist of pairs of poles on ... [Read More]

Apr 28th, 2026 - A Sumatran orangutan has been filmed for the first time using a human-made canopy bridge to cross a public road on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, conservationists said Monday. Rapid development has been shrinking the jungle habitat of the critically endangered species, and fatal conflicts with people have been increasing. The fleeting scene, captured by a motion‑sensitive camera, showed a young Sumatran orangutan pause at the forest's edge, grip a rope with deliberate care and step out ... [Read More]

Apr 28th, 2026 - Do octopus brains work like humans' — or is there another way to be smart? Just like vertebrates, cephalopods — such as octopuses and squid — have elaborate brains. Neuroscientists are flocking to them for insights into how intelligence evolved. Three hearts; blue blood; no skeleton; arms like tongues. These are just some of the alien features of octopuses, squid and cuttlefish — members of the cephalopod family. The outlandish list continues. Cephalopod skin can taste ... [Read More]

Apr 28th, 2026 - It's quick and easy to access Live Science Plus, simply enter your email below. We'll send you a confirmation and sign you up for our daily newsletter, keeping you up to date with the latest science news. Want to add more newsletters? Join the club Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards. Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Join the conversation Add us as a preferred source on Google Subscribe to our newsletter Birds have spread ... [Read More]

Apr 28th, 2026 - By Researchers in Florida are using an unexpected tool to help fight invasive Burmese pythons in the Everglades: opossums . Because opossums are one of the snakes' favorite prey, scientists discovered they could track pythons by fitting opossums with GPS collars and following the signal after the animal had been eaten. The method is now helping conservation teams locate and remove more of the invasive snakes as python populations continue damaging native wildlife across South Florida. The core ... [Read More]

Apr 28th, 2026 - Reading time 4 minutes One of the more fascinating and fearsome creatures in the world, the scorpion, is even cooler than you might have thought. Research out today confirms these arachnids' weapons are quite literally laced with metal. Scientists at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and others studied more than a dozen species across the scorpion family tree up close. All of the scorpions had various kinds of metal in their pincers and stingers, albeit in unique, sometimes ... [Read More]

Apr 28th, 2026 - Follow Earth on Google Imagine strolling along the same path where our ancestors once walked, then accidentally discovering human footprints that had been left behind roughly 120,000 years ago. This is precisely what happened to a group of archaeologists when they found the oldest-known human footprints on the Arabian Peninsula. Discovered among the tracks of prehistoric animals, these imprints mark a significant discovery in the study of human migration and life before the Ice Age. Early human ... [Read More]

Apr 27th, 2026 - A viral deep sea mystery took more than two years to solve because the ocean still hides life in forms scientists barely recognize. Two miles below the Gulf of Alaska, in darkness, cold, and crushing pressure, a remotely operated vehicle came upon a smooth golden dome stuck to a rock. It had a small tear near its side. It looked biological, but weird, almost like an egg from the Alien franchise. For more than two years, no one could say exactly what it was. Now scientists at NOAA and the ... [Read More]

Apr 26th, 2026 - Researchers find 'alarming' effect on fertility across global species from simultaneous exposures Simultaneous exposure to toxic chemicals and climate change's impacts likely generates an additive or synergistic effect that increases reproductive harm, and may contribute to the broad global drop in fertility, new peer-reviewed research finds . The review of scientific literature considers how endocrine-disrupting chemicals, often found in plastic, coupled with climate change's effects, such as ... [Read More]

Apr 25th, 2026 - Welcome! Log into your account Recover your password A password will be e-mailed to you. Phidippus Regius Care Guide: The Regal Jumping Spider Researched and written by the ExoPetGuides editorial team with AI-assisted drafting. All husbandry parameters and veterinary references independently verified against peer-reviewed sources, including the Journal of Arachnology, published Phidippus regius care protocols from Josh's Frogs and the Tarantula Collective, Animal Diversity Web (University of ... [Read More]