What Skulls Told Us
The pseudoscience phrenology swept the popular imagination, and its practitioners made a mint preying on prejudices, gullibility, and misinformation.
The Question of Geophagy: Why Eat Dirt?
Scientists have three theories about why people and animals eat dirt.
Are Polar Bears Altruistic or Just Bad At Math?
Polar bear mothers are known to adopt and raise cubs from non-related litters. Why do they make a multi-year commitment to do it?
Our Long-Running Love Affair with Pigeons
Through crazes of pigeon-fancying, these birds have been reshaped into a dizzying variety of forms.
Exploring Lake Baikal
The world's largest, deepest freshwater lake is home to hundreds of species that don't live anywhere else on Earth. But it's threatened by climate change.
You May Soon Be Eating These Gene-Edited Pigs
Scientists have produced pigs that can resist a billion dollar animal virus.
Six Women in Science You Should Know
Six female scientists—historical and contemporary—who don’t have much name recognition but who have done important, interesting work.
The Glowing Mystery of Bioluminescence
Bioluminescence, an animal's ability to create and use light, exists exclusively in the lower branches of the tree of life.
Can You Hear It? The Cicadas Are Back
After 17 years quietly developing under the soil, 3 species of periodical cicadas emerged this summer. How do these insects coordinate?
Uptown Fox: On Wildlife in Cities
Urban environments are harsh, with only fragmentary remains of natural habitat. But human activity has driven a rise of wildlife in cities.