Animals

Learning how biological materials fail can assist engineers.
Peter Gwynne, Contributor
3D tracking of insects reveals surprisingly bouncy behavior.
Michael Greshko, Contributor
Inspecting a bone from a salmon's ear can reveal where it has lived.
Peter Gwynne, Contributor
In whales -- and in humans -- older females seem to offer a special benefit to groups.
Katharine Gammon, Contributor
Traffic scientists study ants because they manage traffic better than humans.
Joel Shurkin, Contributor
The color-shifting displays prevalent in nature could puzzle potential predators.
Ker Than, Contributor
More evidence that members of the tyrannosaur family fought and ate each other.
Charles Q. Choi, Contributor
Shocking ploy helps spiders catch prey.
Peter Gwynne, Contributor
Hungry hippos heft grass from African savannahs to rivers.
Leigh Cooper, Contributor
Winners of insects' territorial contests have brighter UV-reflecting wing patches.
Jyoti Madhusoodanan, Contributor
Organic farming techniques don't increase milk's nutritional value.
Leigh Cooper, Contributor