Biology

Feb 18th, 2026 - Follow Earth on Google Scientists report the discovery of a giant sauropod dinosaur, Tongnanlong zhimingi – Late Jurassic giant from southwestern China estimated at up to 92-feet-long. The fossil was found in Chongqing's Tongnan District, part of the Sichuan Basin, and comes from rocks laid down about 147 million years ago. Tongnanlong zhimingi is known from a holotype (the single name bearing reference specimen) with three back vertebrae, six tail vertebrae, a shoulder girdle, and ... [Read More]

Feb 18th, 2026 - Lovingly nicknamed "sea gooseberry," it glides through waters like a squishy crystal or a blimpy iridescent water balloon. It has been observed in deep ocean trenches and coastal waters across the world and has also been spotted in the Black, North, and Baltic Seas. The moment this gelatinous creature is removed from the water, it collapses almost instantly, disappearing like it never existed. For years, this made things difficult for the scientists who keenly desired to witness this creature ... [Read More]

Feb 18th, 2026 - Follow Earth on Google Life in the trees shaped the bodies of early primates in powerful ways. A new study shows that climbing down trees, not just climbing up, played an important role in the evolution of upright postures. By studying how modern tree-dwelling mammals move on vertical supports, researchers uncovered clues about how early primates developed their unique body structure. Tree life shaped early primates Forests contain trunks, branches, and lianas that differ in size, angle, and ... [Read More]

Feb 18th, 2026 - Bio-hacks from the world's tallest mammal could lead to new treatments for chronic hypertension. To the casual observer on a photo safari, the giraffe is an iconic, gentle giant browsing the acacia tops. But to a cardiovascular physiologist, a giraffe is a walking, breathing hydraulic paradox. Standing nearly six meters tall, the giraffe presents a massive engineering challenge. To pump blood against gravity all the way up that long neck to the brain, the giraffe's heart must generate immense ... [Read More]

Feb 18th, 2026 - Your gut microbes can be – scientists are uncovering how to keep your microbiome youthful People have long given up on the search for the Fountain of Youth , a mythical spring that could reverse aging. But for some scientists, the hunt has not ended – it's just moved to a different place. These modern-day Ponce de Leóns are investigating whether gut microbes hold the secret to aging well. The gut microbiome refers to the vast collection of microscopic organisms – ... [Read More]

Feb 18th, 2026 - Report records 65 unprovoked attacks – but annual drowning deaths in US alone exceed 4,000 The number of people killed or bitten by sharks in unprovoked attacks globally increased significantly in 2025, a report published on Wednesday has found, while a single Florida county maintained its crown as the so-called shark bite capital of the world. The International Shark Attack File , compiled by the Florida Program for Shark Research at the University of Florida, recorded 65 unprovoked ... [Read More]

Feb 18th, 2026 - Follow Earth on Google When fungi spread through a fallen log, they leave behind a web of tiny threads that quietly break down wood and recycle nutrients. For a long time, scientists assumed most of that network simply stayed behind as the fungus moved on. But new research shows that some forest fungi don't just grow forward – they tear down and reuse large parts of their own threadlike networks as they expand. Instead of abandoning old growth, they pull nutrients back in and redeploy ... [Read More]

Feb 18th, 2026 - Reading time 2 minutes Scientists have uncovered yet another reason not to trust a snake—the slithering creatures have a habit of eating each other. A recent study compiled over 500 incidents of cannibalism in more than 200 species of snakes, revealing that the behavior is much more common than believed. Snakes are likely to feed on one another due to opportunistic choices, sometimes driven by limited food sources or environmental stressors. The study, published in Biological Reviews, ... [Read More]

Feb 17th, 2026 - Genetics reveal how a tiny herd thrived against the odds. In 1871, a farmer stepped off a volcanic rock in the southern Indian Ocean. For seven months, he had tried to grow crops and cows and didn't succeed. He left five or six cattle behind, not wanting to bother with them as the settlement had failed. The cows, however, had other plans. Amsterdam Island is a speck of French territory stranded between Madagascar and Antarctica. It is wind-swept, soaked in rain, and utterly ... [Read More]

Feb 17th, 2026 - Sometimes, new data raises more questions than it answers. In a recent study, University of Alaska Fairbanks paleontologist Matthew Wooller and his colleagues radiocarbon-dated what they thought were pieces of two mammoth vertebrae, only to get a whale of a surprise and a whole new mystery. At first glance, it looked like Wooller and his colleagues might have found evidence that mammoths lived in central Alaska just 2,000 years ago. But ancient DNA revealed that two "mammoth" bones actually ... [Read More]

Feb 17th, 2026 - New research reveals the hidden cooling system inside the horned dinosaur's massive skull. To build an absolute unit like Triceratops , nature had to get creative with the plumbing. While the dinosaur is famous for its three-horned combat stance, the internal anatomy of its skull has long remained a black box. To paleontologists, the sheer size of its head presented a massive thermal engineering problem. How do you keep a brain cool inside a giant, bony helmet? According to new research from ... [Read More]

Feb 17th, 2026 - Follow Earth on Google For tens of millions of years after animals first walked onto land, nearly all vertebrates were predators. Leaves, stems, and other plant foods were abundant, but early land animals largely ignored them. So when did the first backboned animals begin eating plants? A newly described fossil from Nova Scotia is helping answer that long-standing question. Scientists have identified a 307-million-year-old skull belonging to one of the earliest known land vertebrates capable of ... [Read More]

Feb 17th, 2026 - ANGWIN, Calif. (AP) — Jessica Allen crunched through fallen leaves among Manzanita trees hunting for something few have spotted before: the Manzanita butter clump — a rare and little-known yellow mushroom found, so far, only along North America's Western coastlines. It was last seen here in California's Napa County two years ago, and Allen, a fungi scientist, was keen to find it. But within minutes, something caught her attention. She knelt, pulled a hand lens to her eye, and peered ... [Read More]

Feb 17th, 2026 - Deep inside a jungle in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, someone recently got her name added to the Guinness World Records (GWR) . Officials tried to hand her the certificate, but it was a struggle. It was Diaz Nugraha, wildlife guide and snake handler, who had first spotted her in December 2025. Excited to share his discovery, he reached out to his photographer friend, Radu Frentiu. Together, they travelled to the jungle to see her up close. Unrolling rolls of surveyor tape, they documented her ... [Read More]

Feb 16th, 2026 - Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. . H ave you ever wondered how an elephant can pick up something as delicate as a peanut with its massive, thick-skinned trunk? It seems a bit like trying to scoop up a single pebble with a snow shovel. Yet, elephants manage to "go from lugging logs to delicately grasping a tortilla chip" with their trunks. For proof, check out these videos from a 2017 Science study that characterized the grip forces of elephant trunk tips.   Nautilus Members ... [Read More]

Feb 16th, 2026 - Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. . T he largest snakes in the world, pythons, are found in Africa, Southeast Asia, the Philippines, Australia, and even Florida (albeit as an invasive species). Yet, despite being surrounded by countries where pythons thrive, the island nation of Taiwan has remained curiously bereft of the massive snakes, even in their fossil record.  Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Paleontologists from National Taiwan University recently ... [Read More]