Biology

A guide to life, on Earth and beyond, including the top news about plants, animals, and physiology.

Latest in Biology

Stream of coffee pouring into an overflowing coffee mug on a white table

Why coffee tastes bitter, according to molecular biology

two mayflies mating

Mayflies have crazy, acrobatic sex

By Margherita Bassi

a white bison calf walking next to an adult bison in tall prairie grass

One-in-a-million white bison calf born in Iowa

By Laura Baisas

Two white children play on a roundabout in a vintage photograph.

The first playgrounds were for adults, not kids

By Andrew Coletti

a team of vets puts a wire frame on a turtle's shell

Vet constructs ingenious contraption to help a tortoise hit by a car

By Margherita Bassi

Glowing blue algae arranged in different shapes

Glowing algae could power the lamps of the future

Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday present is… a parasitic wasp

By Margherita Bassi

shiny crystals found inside of a bone

An extinct human species made surprisingly creative butchery tools

By Laura Baisas

An atmospheric photograph shows a silhouette of a person interacting with a dramatic play of light and shadow. The person’s face and hands are partially illuminated by a bright, warm light source that cuts through a hazy, purple-tinted atmosphere filled with smoke or mist. The composition is abstract and moody, emphasizing the sensory and ethereal nature of light and color.

Color doesn’t exist—at least not how you think

By Jennifer Byrne

Close up of speartooth shark

Shark lasers could help save vulnerable species

two eaglet chicks in a nest

How to tell Jackie and Shadow’s chicks, Sandy and Luna, apart

By Laura Baisas

a grizzly bear in the woods

CAUTION: That dead elk in Yellowstone could be grizzly bear bait

By Margherita Bassi

two eaglets on a nest

Jackie and Shadow’s eaglets’ names announced: Say hello to Sandy and Luna

By Laura Baisas

A brain implant to treat depression gets FDA greenlight to start trials

By Mack DeGeurin

small kitten sitting on a golden retriever's head.

Why some cats love dogs—despite the risk

By Clarissa Brincat

a brown bear eating a piece of salmon in a river

Fat Bear Week champion Chunk spotted taking a stroll in Alaska

By Laura Baisas

a chicken with brown and white stripes and large orange sacks on the sides of its head

A rare prairie chicken shakes his butt all day to attract ladies

By Laura Baisas

Rough thicktail scorpion (Parabuthus raudus). Paratuthus scorpions' venom is quick-acting, so they do not need to rely as much on their pincers to capture prey.

Metal-reinforced scorpions evolved to kill

a yellow glider in the ocean

The ‘Waymo of the sea’ tracks sperm whale conversations

By Laura Baisas

sea lion on pier

How to watch Chonkers, the 2,000-pound sea lion live from San Francisco

By Laura Baisas