Orangutan

What Does it Mean to Be on the Endangered Species List?

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List is a global list of species and their conservation status.
Spider web

Six Surprising Facts About Spiderwebs

Intricate, strong, and rapidly-built, spider webs are more amazing even than they first appear. For a construction job done right, get a spider to do it.
Crow illustration

Crows Are Even Smarter Than We Thought

If crows like the New Caledonian Crow can plan out and create a specialized tool, then they seem to have smarts that rival those of early humans. 
One antler deer skull in water

The Ecology of Death

In nature, death creates its own unique ecosystem. These carcass-based mini-ecosystems are extremely dynamic.
Earthworm in soil

Maybe Earthworms Aren’t So Great For Soil After All

Earthworms are often portrayed as beneficial to the environment, but in North America's temperate forests, they are a disaster in action.
Orca whale

How Killer Whales Kill

Orcas may look cute, but don’t be fooled. They display some of the most sophisticated hunting techniques of any animals on Earth.
Anna Atkins cyanotype

The Artful Science of Anna Atkins

Anna Atkins reportedly created the first photographically illustrated and printed book in response to another monograph she thought was shoddily done.
Roman Sea Monster

Sea Monsters of the Pacific Northwest

The Pacific Northwest is particularly known for their sea monsters, largely because of the continuity of stories about unidentified sea creatures.
Common Blue Butterfly

Why Conservationists Shouldn’t Forget About Insects

Insect conservation can be a tough sell. Lots of people simply don’t like bugs, and an endangered bug simply doesn’t pull on the heart strings.
Faceless Cusk

How Can A Fish Not Have a Face?

From the "weird science" files: A research vessel off the coast of New South Wales in Eastern Australia hauled up a fish that did not seem to have a face.