Susan Milius

Life Sciences Writer, Science News

Life sciences writer Susan Milius has been writing about botany, zoology and ecology for Science News since the last millennium. She worked at diverse publications before breaking into science writing and editing. After stints on the staffs of The ScientistScienceInternational Wildlife and United Press International, she joined Science News. Three of Susan's articles have been selected to appear in editions of The Best American Science Writing.

All Stories by Susan Milius

  1. Plants

    Mimosa plant ‘muscles’ fold tickled leaves fast

    A mimosa plant uses special cells to close leaflets when bumped and then reopen them — again and again.

  2. Animals

    Sleeping glass frogs go into stealth mode by hiding red blood cells

    Glass frogs snoozing among leaves blend in by hiding almost all their red blood cells in their liver.

  3. Animals

    Some young fruit flies’ eyeballs literally pop out of their heads

    The first published photo shoot of developing Pelmatops flies shows how their eyes rise on gangly stalks in the first hour of adulthood.

  4. A sea slug’s head can crawl around and grow a whole new body

    Some chopped-up flatworms can regrow whole bodies from bits and pieces. But a sea slug head can regrow fancier organs such as hearts.

  5. Tiny spider uses silk to lift prey 50 times its own weight

    Dropping the right silk let’s a spider haul mice, lizards and other giants up off the ground.

  6. Plants

    ‘Vampire’ parasite challenges the definition of a plant

    Langsdorffia are stripped down to their essentials. Lacking green leaves for photosynthesis, they steal energy and nutrients from other plants.

  7. Animals

    What you need to know about ‘murder hornets’

    Two new specimens of the world’s largest hornet have just turned up in the United States. Here’s what to make of them and other alien-hornet invaders.

  8. Animals

    Bumblebees may bite leaves to spur plant blooming

    In a pollen shortage, some bees nick holes in tomato leaves. This can speed up flowering and pollen production by weeks.

  9. Animals

    Why elephants and armadillos might easily get drunk

    Stories of drunken elephants may not be a myth. Differences in a gene for breaking down alcohol could explain how they get tipsy.

  10. Animals

    Pandas use their heads as a kind of extra limb for climbing

    Their short legs on a stout bear body mean pandas use a rare technique to climb up a tree.

  11. Climate

    5 things to know about the climate-saving benefits of tree planting

    A recent analysis of the benefits of massive efforts to plant more trees triggered a firestorm of controversy.

  12. Animals

    High-speed camera reveals the secrets of a legless larva’s leap

    Research reveals how a blob of an insect can leap more efficiently than it crawls. Its body acts like a spring.