Surprising Science

A stuffed solenodon in a museum Feedloader (Clickability)

Solenodons: No Bark But Plenty of Venomous Bite

Solenodons are unusual predators; they are among the few venomous mammals

A snow leopard caught in a camera trap in Afghanistan

The Vanishing Cats

In a recent bit of good news, snow leopards have been spotted at 16 camera traps in northeastern Afghanistan

The loss of wolves in the American West set off a cascade of changes to the region's food web.

What Happens When Predators Disappear

It's Predator Week here at the blog. What's your favorite predator, either existing or extinct?

Great White Egret, by Antonio Soto, photographed March 2009, South Florida

How the Great White Egret Spurred Bird Conservation

I was certain that the bird's plumage had to have been faked, but all the photographer did was darken the background. Those feathers were real

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There’s a Drought—Is It Climate Change?

Despite the heat waves across the country, no one is screaming "climate change is real" because of them. Why?

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The Cambrian Explosion in Song

What does a music teacher do when he ends up teaching science?

A pig-nosed turtle at the Shedd Aquarium

The Decline of the Pig-Nosed Turtle

Saving the turtle from extinction could be complicated, scientists find

Naked mole rats from the Smithsonian Institution's National Zoo

14 Fun Facts About Naked Mole Rats

Number 11: A mole rat's incisors can be moved independently and can even work together like a pair of chopsticks

The space shuttle Atlantis, ready for liftoff.

Quirkiest Space Shuttle Science

As the space shuttle program ends, a salute to some of its most surprising studies

Eyjafjallajökull

What’s the Most Dangerous Country?

Iceland is pretty much the least habitable of all the places that people have inhabited. But visiting it is like hiking through a geology textbook

Amber Firefly

The Insect That Creates Its Own Lightshow

There are about 2,000 species of fireflies, a type of beetle that lights up its abdomen with a chemical reaction to attract a mate

Tropical Storm Arlene is predicted to make landfall in Mexico early Thursday morning

Hurricane Season Starts With Arlene

The first tropical storm of 2011 is a reminder to prepare for potential disasters

If you call someone a piranha, first make sure you've got the right fish

Find Your Fishy Metaphor

We've all used a fishy metaphor in the past, but use the wrong one and you can look pretty stupid

Still from Cars 2

Top Ten Kids’ Movies With a Green Theme

Loggers, hunters, developers, fishers, polluters and whalers are the evil villains in this movie genre

One of Will Walker's demotivational posters for scientists

Science Humor: Anti-Inspirational Posters

"I was learning for the first time about all the gremlins that stand between the researcher and The Answer."

Scientists are still trying to figure out why primates have excellent vision.

Snake-Spotting Theory Brings Primate Vision into Focus

Do camouflaged predators explain why monkeys, apes and other primates evolved superior eyesight?

Before wastewater is treated, scientists can look for traces of illegal drugs.

Sewage Epidemiology Not Just a Pipe Dream

Scientists are beginning to analyze sewage to track the use of illegal drugs

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Earth From Space

Which of these images from the European Space Agency's Flickr stream would you consider hanging as art in your home?

The April 6, 2009 earthquake in Italy destroyed many buildings, new and old.

Should We Blame Scientists for Not Predicting Earthquakes?

A group of Italian scientists may go to trial for allegedly playing down the risk of the quake that struck the Abruzzo region of Italy in April 2009

Wood models of human heads in the NIST Museum collection

Why Did the Standards Bureau Need These Heads?

The NIST Museum has placed images of several items on the website of its Digital Archives and is asking the public for help

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