Biology

Some species of kingfisher hunt for fish by diving head-first into the water as quickly as 25 miles per hour.

How Kingfishers Dive Head-First Into Water Without Getting Concussions

Thanks to a new genetic analysis of 30 kingfisher species, researchers are one step closer to understanding the birds' dramatic hunting style

New research suggests rats can mentally navigate to locations they've visited before.

Rats Can Use Imagination to Navigate in Virtual Reality, Study Finds

Like humans, the rodents appear to be able to visualize walking through locations they've previously visited

Atlantic salmon spend most of their lives in the cool waters of the ocean. When they venture upstream in freshwater rivers to spawn, however, they encounter challenging warmer waters.

Engineers Create 'Air Conditioning' for Salmon With Chilled Patches of River Water

Wild Atlantic salmon can struggle with heat as they swim upstream to spawn—but artificial "thermal refuges" may help them cool off

Bison were nearly hunted to extinction but are now thriving in several national parks, including Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota.

The Ecological Benefits of Rehoming a National Park's Booming Bison Population

In Theodore Roosevelt National Park, staffers are keeping the local ecosystem in balance by sending 300 bison to Native American tribes

Gene-editing silkworms produced this spider silk.

Genetically Modified Silkworms Can Produce Spider Silk That's Stronger Than Kevlar

The sturdy, biodegradable fibers could one day be used for surgical sutures or armored vests

Because of their size, cats have relatively short vocal cords—so how are they able to produce such low-frequency sounds when purring?

How Do Cats Purr? Scientists May Now Have an Answer

Domestic cats produce low-frequency vocalizations when purring, an unusual ability for their small size

Researchers have isolated phages from zoo-dwelling lemurs, giraffes, binturongs, Visayan pigs and Guinea baboons that might help fight diabetic foot ulcers.

Viruses Found in Animal Poop May One Day Treat Diabetic Foot Ulcers, Scientists Say

Known as bacteriophages, the specialized viruses could hijack and kill drug-resistant bacteria

Five flamingos—three adults and two juveniles—hung out for a few hours along the shore of Lake Michigan in Wisconsin. One is not pictured here.

Flamingos Spotted in Wisconsin for First Time on Record Amid String of Rare Appearances

Following Hurricane Idalia, the conspicuous pink birds have been sighted in at least 11 states where they don’t typically live

Box jellyfish are about the size of a grape.

Brainless Jellyfish Are Capable of Learning, Study Suggests

Scientists provide evidence that tiny Caribbean box jellyfish—which lack a central nervous system—can learn to navigate through mangrove roots

Sea lions breed and give birth at Point La Jolla in San Diego.

San Diego Closes Popular Beach for Seven Years to Protect Sea Lions

Visitors have been getting too close to the marine mammals—taking selfies and even harassing them—as they rear their pups

Why can't we stop anthropomorphizing our animal friends and foes?

Are Wild Animals Really Just Like Us?

A summer of news reports about orca, otter and bird “attacks” has the public wondering if trying to understand animal behavior in human terms is misguided

Two types of white blood cells, a neutrophil (top) and a lymphocyte (bottom), in human blood.

Human Cells Display a Mathematical Pattern That Repeats in Nature and Language

New research suggests adult humans have between 28 trillion and 36 trillion cells, which follow a commonly seen distribution of size and mass

Some birds—including blue jays—are strong vocal learners that can mimic other birds and make lots of different sounds.

Songbirds That Learn to Make New Sounds Are the Best Problem-Solvers

Birds—and humans—are vocal learners, meaning they can imitate new vocalizations and use them to communicate

The female whale was found stranded in January on a beach near Palm Coast, Florida.

How an Orca Skeleton Made Its Way From Florida to the Smithsonian

Washed up in a rare stranding event, the newly collected specimen will offer rich exploration for researchers

Scientists inserted human stem cells in pig embryos that couldn't develop kidneys, then let these embryos gestate in sows for several weeks. The experiments resulted in kidneys partly made of human-derived cells.

Scientists Grow Part-Human Kidneys in Pig Embryos for Nearly a Month

The new work is a "big step forward" in finding new ways to generate viable organs for human transplants, but it comes with some ethical considerations

Scientists came across the golden orb while exploring the seafloor of the Gulf of Alaska with a remotely operated vehicle on August 30.

What Is This Mysterious Golden Orb Scientists Found on the Ocean Floor?

After bringing the four-inch-diameter blob to the surface, researchers still only know that it is “biological in origin”

The clouded leopard kitten, born last month at the Oklahoma City Zoo, has now been transferred to the Nashville Zoo to be hand-reared and eventually paired with a mate.

'Rare' Clouded Leopard Kitten Born at the Oklahoma City Zoo

Keepers hope the young male will have his own "little cloudies" one day, helping maintain the vulnerable species' captive population

Hogfish can change their color in less than a second to blend in with their surroundings.

How Color-Changing Hogfish Use Their Skin to 'See' Themselves

Light-sensitive proteins in the fish's skin could play a role in monitoring how they camouflage, researchers theorize in a new study

Scientists know very little about the social behaviors of great white sharks, but they're trying to learn more.

How Two Great White Shark 'Buddies' Could Change Perceptions of the Species

A pair of great white sharks named Simon and Jekyll have been swimming together for more than 4,000 miles in recent months

Scientists are investigating how blood cells or other parts of blood might be responsible for aging.

Old Mice Could Live Longer by Sharing Young Blood, Study Finds

After surgically attaching pairs of mice, scientists suggest the procedure could rejuvenate the older individuals, slowing their aging

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