Poison Ivy leaves

How Poison Ivy Works

Where poison ivy comes from, why it gives some people such terrible reactions, and why—unfortunately for hikers and gardeners—its future is bright.
seagrass in blue ocean

Why We Need Seagrass

Seagrass meadows are habitats for a variety of marine life, and a vital link between land and sea. But these crucial plants are increasingly under threat.
Nuremberg locusts

The Long-Lost Locust

The 1874 locust swarm was estimated to be twice the square mileage of the state of Colorado. Why don't locusts swarm anymore?
blob sea monster

The Myth of the St. Augustine Monster

The idea of the gigantic octopus has tantalized marine scientists for years, although its existence had never been conclusively proven.
Cuckoo wasp

The Overlooked Importance of Parasites

Parasites can be creepy, but according to some ecologists, parasites may substantially impact entire ecosystems—for the better.
herd of mammoths

What Really Happened to the Megafauna

Could humans be responsible for the extinction of megafauna like giant sloths and mastodons?
Illustration: a flower and leaf of the Franklinia alatamaha by William Bartram (1782)

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklinia#/media/File:William_Bartram01.jpg

America’s Mysterious Lost Tree

Extinct in the wild, the Franklinia tree is still cultivated in botanical gardens, private homes, parks, even cemeteries. It's also got an interesting Revolutionary-era backstory.
Axolotl

The Race to Save the Axolotl

When an axolotl loses a limb, it regrows, and nary a scar remains. But this incredible creature is on the brink of extinction.
duck billed platypus

The Platypus Is Even Weirder Than You Thought

Platypuses. They’re weird. In fact, platypuses are so unusual that it took taxonomists more than eighty years just to decide what they are.
Fisherman taking freshly caught trout out of fishing net.

The Dark Side of Fish Stocking

It takes place out of sight of non-anglers, but fish stocking, or adding fish for the benefit of sport fishing, is a widespread practice in resource management.