All Stories by Susan Milius
-
AnimalsChemicals from the world’s longest animal can kill cockroaches
The stuff in this sea worm’s slime can kill off green crabs, too.
-
LifeFighting ‘like an animal’ may not be what you expect
Evolution has produced a broad range of conflict styles. And some of the best examples come from outside the world of the familiar.
-
EnvironmentLight at night lengthens how long birds can spread West Nile virus
Light at night prolongs the time it takes these birds to knock out a West Nile infection. Mosquitoes that bite them during this time can pick up and spread their virus to others — even people.
-
AnimalsKiller whale blows a raspberry, says ‘hello’
Orcas can mimic a range of sounds, including human speech — sort of.
-
AnimalsTricky turns give prey a chance against lions and cheetahs
A bonanza of running data on wild predators shows that a successful hunt requires more than sprinting.
-
PlantsBlooms on ‘chocolate’ tree are crazy-hard to pollinate
The cacao trees must be pollinated or those seeds that give us chocolate will never form. The rub: The trees’ flowers challenge all but some of the tiniest pollen-moving insects.
-
AnimalsBlowflies keep their cool with drool
Personal air conditioning the blowfly way: Dangle a droplet of saliva and then swallow it.
-
AnimalsSucking blood isn’t an easy life, even for vampires
Real vampires include bats, insects and even birds. And they’ve had to develop novel ways of dealing with a diet of blood.
-
PlantsCool Job: Rethinking how plants hunt for water
Studies probing the very beginnings of root development may have important implications for growing food in a world where the climate is changing.
-
EnvironmentLight pollution can foil plant-insect hookups
An experiment in remote European meadows shows that light pollution at night can affect the pollination of flowers — even into sunlight hours.