Creature
All that slithers, swims, flits, flies, grows and dies
Animals, plants, microbes, fungi and all life on Earth, from long-buried dinosaurs to newly emerging infections, often serve to instruct and amaze. We are interested in everything from the simplest physical structures to the most complex emergent behavior of life's many forms — from the extinct to the evolved and from the web of ecology to the promise of animal-inspired technology.
The armor might help leafcutter ants defend the valuable fungus they grow for food.
Treatment that eases bipolar symptoms in humans stops risky behavior in infected sticklebacks.
A month’s worth of cool science stories.
The animals have evolved an immune system that doesn’t cause as much inflammation.
By mimicking the diabolical ironclad beetles' wing cases, engineers may be able to build stronger joints for applications such as airplanes.
Accidents like the Deepwater Horizon spill may hurt the rays’ ability to hunt.
The subterranean rodents have little use for vision, but their magnetic sense tells them which direction is which.
Separate subspecies of the fork-tailed flycatcher make different trill sounds with their wing feathers.
The bright flowerlike symmetry of Australia’s northern jeweled orb-web spider lures in hungry prey.
Adding seaweed to cows’ diets could help reduce methane production and help curb climate change.
The animals' bodies contained pollutants not found in dolphins before.
The discovery raises hopes that chimps can adapt to threats such as climate change.
