Biology

Mistletoe is best known for its role in holiday festivities, as seen on this Christmas card from 1886, and it features in ancient lore of many cultures, whether Celtic druids or Scandinavian gods.

The Biology of Mistletoe

Best known as a holiday trimming, the parasitic plant is a botanical luminary in its own right

The team's findings reflect the toll of the ivory trade and habitat destruction.

Ivory From 16th-Century Shipwreck Yields Clues to African Elephants' Decline

Researchers extracted DNA from tusks found in the wreckage of the "Bom Jesus," a treasure-laden vessel that sank in 1533

Denali's dogsled teams mush for weeks at a time to the far-flung corners of a park that stretches over 6 million acres.

How Denali National Park's Sled Dogs Prepare for Winter

For nearly a century, park rangers have relied on dogsledding to patrol the public land and collect data for scientists

Asian honey bees applying animal feces at the entrance of their hives to ward off attacks from hornets.

Asian Bees Plaster Hives With Feces to Defend Against Hornet Attacks

Researchers say the surprising behavior could constitute tool use, which would be a first for honey bees

The spectacled tyrant (Hymenops perspicillatus) inhabits harsh, dry deserts, which new research suggests tend to produce new species at a higher rate than lush, biodiverse places like the Amazon.

Earth's Harshest Ecosystems May Birth New Species Fastest

A genetic study of nearly 1,300 different birds suggests places with fewer species spit out new ones more frequently than biodiversity hotspots

AlphaFold's protein structure in blue is shown overlaid with the lab results in green for two kinds of proteins.

Breakthrough A.I. Makes Huge Leap Toward Solving 50-Year-Old Problem in Biology

Proteins are vital biological molecules, and it can require years of lab-based experiments to tease out the 3-D shape of just one

A male bottlenose dolphin used in the study, seen here with electrocardiogram suction cups attached to monitor its heart rate.

Dolphins May Be Able to Control Their Heart Rates

New study finds trained dolphins slow their hearts faster and more dramatically when instructed to perform long dives than short ones

Researchers analyze the microbiome of Leonardo's Portrait of a Man in Red Chalk (circa 1490). Housed at the Royal Library of Turin, the detailed sketch is considered by some scholars to be a self-portrait.

Hidden Microbes and Fungi Found on the Surface of Leonardo da Vinci Drawings

Researchers used new DNA sequencing technology to examine the "bio-archives" of seven of the Renaissance master's sketches

A male wrinkle-faced bat (Centurio senex) seen dangling from his perch. Beneath his chin is a furry skin fold that he pulls up to cover the lower half of the face like a mask during courtship.

These Bats Mask Up to Woo Mates

Male wrinkle-faced bats use a furry neck flap to cover their faces while serenading the opposite sex in never-before-seen behavior

Can you see the plant in this picture? This small brown Fritillaria delavayi has evolved camouflage in response to heavy harvesting by humans. The more closely the plant mimics its environment, the harder it is for humans to find and harvest the plant.

Medicinal Plant May Have Evolved Camouflage to Evade Humans

In places where people harvest the plant most aggressively, its color has changed to blend in with the rocky environment

Bee species are more diverse in dry regions where pollen is abundant.

Scientists Create a Buzz With the First Ever Global Map of Bee Species

Most of the insects avoid the tropics and choose treeless environments in arid parts of the world

Most people will tell you that the average temperature for the human body is 98.6 degrees. But a growing body of research is challenging that idea, suggesting peoples' bodies now run a bit cooler on average.

Even in the Bolivian Amazon, Average Human Body Temperature Is Getting Cooler

A new study finds the average body temperature among Bolivia’s Tsimane people dropped by nearly a full degree in just 16 years

Echidnas have a four-headed penis, though only two heads are put to use at a time.

Nine of the Weirdest Penises in the Animal Kingdom

A short list of some of nature’s most curious phalluses, from the echidna’s four-headed unit to the dolphin’s prehensile member

Camels stay cool through a combination of sweat and insulating fur.

Why This New Technology Inspired by Camel Fur Is Super Cool

A two-layered material that mimics the animals’ sweat glands and insulating fur chills surfaces 400 percent longer than traditional methods

New research identifies a previously unknown type of nerve cell inside octopus suckers that the cephalopods use like taste buds.

Octopuses Taste Food With Special Cells in Their Suckers

New study reveals biology behind one of the octopus' many super powers

Time-lapse of fruiting mushrooms

Watch an Amazing Time-Lapse of Growing Mushrooms

A mesmerizing 10,000-shot video captures the dramatic life cycles of several species

Damselfish typically live in the nooks and crannies of coral reefs. But do you have anything with more of an open concept?

If a Fish Could Build Its Own Home, What Would It Look Like?

By exposing fish to experimental constructions, scientists hope to find out if replicating coral reefs is really the way to go

Rattlesnakes can bite after death.

14 Fun Facts About Frightening Animals

From snakes that eat their prey alive to primates that inject their peers with flesh-rotting venom, these are the scariest deeds committed by critters

The ogre-faced spider earns its name from its large eyes and mandibles.

How Ultra-Sensitive Hearing Allows Spiders to Cast a Net on Unsuspecting Prey

Sounds trigger the ogre-faced spider to backflip and shoot a silk trap on other insects

Two eight-year-old Twinkies that Pennsylvania man Colin Purrington found in his basement.

Scientists Study Twinkie Mummified by Mold

Tests on the eight-year-old snack food put the myth of the immortal Twinkie to rest

Page 20 of 87