Biology

Nov 28th, 2025 - Yellowstone has long been a mecca for scientists studying how predators affect the environment. When the US Fish and Wildlife Service reintroduced 14 gray wolves to Yellowstone National Park in 1995, the animals were, in some ways, stepping into a new world. After humans hunted wolves to near-extinction across the Western US in the early 20th century, the carnivore's absence likely altered ecosystems and food webs across the Rocky Mountains. Once wolves were reintroduced to the landscape, ... [Read More]

Nov 28th, 2025 - SCARBOROUGH, Maine (AP) — Eels are the stuff of nightmares — slimy, snakelike creatures that lay millions of eggs before dying so their offspring can return home to rivers and streams. They've existed since the time of the dinosaurs, and some species are more poorly understood than those ancient animals. Yet they're also valuable seafood fish that are declining all over the world, leading to a new push for restrictions on trade to help stave off extinction. Freshwater eels are ... [Read More]

Nov 28th, 2025 - Cuddly koalas are closely related to one of the deadliest mammals ever. Australian folklore warns of the "drop bear," a legendary and savage version of the koala said to leap from trees onto unsuspecting tourists. Now, scientists have found that the myth may have roots in the deep past. A new study provides the first molecular evidence linking modern koalas to the long-extinct Thylacoleo carnifex , better known as the "marsupial lion," one of the largest mammalian predators ever to stalk Ice ... [Read More]

Nov 28th, 2025 - Secretive 'no arm' lizard crowned new species after decade-long search We'd like to welcome this curious armless burrowing lizard into the New Species Hall of Fame. Despite being built for life underground, in the end this slider skink was no match for scientists who had searched for a decade to confirm its existence. Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) ecologists have announced the formal identification of this snake-like lizard as a new reptile species, following two specimen captures a ... [Read More]

Nov 27th, 2025 - Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. . I t's a universal fact that as any 3-D object, from a Platonic sphere to a cell to an elephant, grows outward in all directions, its total surface area will increase more slowly than the space it occupies (its volume). If the object's geometry and shape remain the same as it gets bigger, then its surface area will increase roughly as fast as its volume to the two-thirds power. For centuries, biologists have wondered if life forms, too, follow this ... [Read More]

Nov 27th, 2025 - Scientists are digging into one of evolution's strangest puzzles — why only certain creatures developed minds that know they exist. Consciousness is the strangest thing evolution ever pulled off. It's not a trait like wings or fur, but rather something that exists solely as a product of the mind. For the longest time, we've treated consciousness as humanity's private club — no entry for creatures without language or a big, folded cortex. But science is starting to catch up to ... [Read More]

Nov 27th, 2025 - Follow Earth on Google In Guatemala's Maya Biosphere Reserve, four wild cat species avoid competition by staking out different vertical tiers of the forest, from the ground-dwelling jaguar to the treetop-moving margay. A new study led by Oregon State University shows that each species leans on a different "floor" of the rainforest, with some prowling the leaf litter and others targeting prey in the trees.  "This research challenges long-held assumptions about how large carnivores coexist ... [Read More]

Nov 26th, 2025 - Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. . A ustralia has some tough nuts to crack. But to some species of rat kangaroo, busting into the extremely hard seeds of the sandalwood and quandong trees down under is all in a night's work. Commonly called "bettongs" (genus Bettongia ), these nocturnal marsupials scurry around at night foraging on these seeds, as well as roots, leaves, grubs, fruits, and fungi. In a new study published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society , researchers ... [Read More]

Nov 26th, 2025 - Follow Earth on Google The deep sea often challenges our ideas about how life evolves. Some creatures carry stories that stretch across unimaginable time. The vampire squid sits among these quiet survivors. Its soft body and drifting lifestyle hide a complex past written in its genome. A new study now brings that history into view, revealing how this species links the worlds of squids and octopuses . Vampire squid reveals family story Researchers sequenced the vampire squid genome and uncovered ... [Read More]

Nov 26th, 2025 - Newly discovered fossils prove that a mysterious foot found in Ethiopia belongs to a little-known, recently named ancient human relative. Newly discovered fossils prove that a mysterious foot found in Ethiopia belongs to a little-known, recently named ancient human relative who lived alongside the species of the famous Lucy, scientists said Wednesday. The discovery is the latest twist in the tale of human evolution and could even cast some doubt on the status of Lucy's species, Australopithecus ... [Read More]

Nov 26th, 2025 - In the animal kingdom, penises can be spiked, split, corkscrewed – even detachable. They're one of the most diverse structures in biology. The human penis is so uniform, it's an anatomical outlier. Understanding why penises evolved, and why they differ so widely, also helps explain why humans have one at all. Penises first evolved as a solution to one simple problem: how to achieve internal fertilisation. The first animals lived in the sea before our ancestors started living on land half ... [Read More]

Nov 26th, 2025 - Home to scenic cities like Porto, Aveiro and Lisbon, Portugal has earned widespread acclaim for its eye-catching architecture and rich cultural heritage—but it's not just humans that call this country home. From the depths of the Azores to the peaks of the Serra da Estrela, Portugal is also brimming with a wealth of native mammals, birds and reptiles, several of which are endemic to the country. As you plan your next trip to Western Europe, the following regions offer a glimpse into the ... [Read More]

Nov 25th, 2025 - Follow Earth on Google Scientists have discovered a new species of slender wolf snake on a remote island in India's Nicobar archipelago. Glossy black and growing to about 3 feet long, the snake has been named Irwin's wolf snake. Its scientific name, Lycodon irwini , honors Australian conservationist Steve Irwin. "His passion and dedication to wildlife education and conservation have inspired naturalists and conservationists worldwide, including the authors of this paper," wrote the researchers. ... [Read More]

Nov 25th, 2025 - Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. . I f you were traversing the ancient Tethys ocean some 115 million years ago and encountered gigantic lamniform sharks, you'd most definitely need a bigger boat. Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Lamniformes, an order of sharks that includes the great white of Jaws infamy, evolved around 135 million years ago and may have begun as wee, shallow water-dwelling creatures—around 3 feet long. But over time, they evolved into massive, ... [Read More]

Nov 25th, 2025 - Australia is home to extraordinary reptiles and frogs, from giant lace monitors to tiny alpine froglets. Over 1,100 reptiles and 250 frog species are found across the Australian continent and islands. But we are losing them. So far, one of Australia's reptiles has become extinct, the delicate Christmas Island forest skink. And seven frogs are thought to be lost forever, including the only two species of gastric brooding frog – famous for their ability to brood their young in the female's ... [Read More]

Nov 25th, 2025 - Follow Earth on Google A newly described carnivorous reptile from southern Brazil is the kind of animal most people would casually label a dinosaur – but it wasn't. Tainrakuasuchus bellator belongs to Pseudosuchia, the ancient lineage that ultimately gave rise to today's crocodiles and alligators. The beast prowled the Triassic some 240 million years ago, just before dinosaurs rose to dominance. Covered with armored plates and built for quick strikes, it adds a fierce new character to a ... [Read More]