Holotype of Diplazium grammatoides Fée; Verified by George R. Proctor, 1985/10

Botanist and Murderer? The Strange End of George R. Proctor

The obituary of noted botanist George R. Proctor reveals a surprising story.
Fire

Fire Season is Getting Longer and Longer

A look at how climate change and human influences are changing the dynamics of fire, and the landscape, in the American west.
Broken windows in Prypiat, Chernobyl

Chernobyl: Can Wildlife Return After the Blast?

For 30 years we have assumed that no life would return to Chernobyl after the nuclear disaster there. We may be wrong.
A dead fish in sand

We’re Down to Half the Fish in the Sea

Since the 1970s, half of the world's fish population has disappeared. We trace the history of this ecological disaster.
A swimming platypus

Venom Found in the Unlikeliest of Animals

Venom is used by some surprising animals, including mammals.
An empty turtle shell

Turtle Shells: More Than Meets the Eye

Turtle shells evolved over time from earlier precursor structures.
Atlantic Blue Crab

Why Urban Crabs Are More Aggressive

Urban crabs are more aggressive than their rural counterparts because of heavy metal contamination.
A brown bear with its fur caught in the wind

Drones Stress Out Bears, Too

The effects of drones and planes on animal stress.
Dolphin on the forehead of a whale rising out of the water

Nothing Beats a Dolphin Riding a Whale

Studies of play in dolphins
armadillo

Armadillos are Cute, but They Spread Leprosy

A surprising examination of how armadillos spread leprosy.