Animal adoptions make no evolutionary sense, so why do they happen?

Biologists are puzzled by evidence of animals that care for those from other social groups or even species.

Vivien Shaw, Lecturer in Anatomy, Bangor University • conversation
April 28, 2021 ~6 min

Arbor Day should be about growing trees, not just planting them

Planting trees is a popular way to do something for nature, but putting seedlings in the ground is just the first step. And without long-term care, those sprouts may not last.

Pedro Brancalion, Professor of Forest Restoration, Universidade de São Paulo • conversation
April 27, 2021 ~9 min


How many Tyrannosaurus rex walked the Earth?

Using the incredible wealth of fossil data and a modern ecological theory, researchers estimated population density for the extinct apex predator.

Daniel Varajão de Latorre, Ph.D. Student in Paleontology, University of California, Berkeley • conversation
April 16, 2021 ~6 min

To help insects, make them welcome in your garden – here's how

Looking for a new gardening challenge? Turning your yard into an insect-friendly oasis could mean less work and more nature to enjoy.

Brian Lovett, Postdoctoral Researcher in Mycology, West Virginia University • conversation
March 22, 2021 ~8 min

Time to make nature studies a compulsory school subject – before it’s too late

Contact with nature at a young age makes a big difference later in life.

Matthew Adams, Principal Lecturer in Psychology, University of Brighton • conversation
March 19, 2021 ~6 min

Risk versus reward on the high seas – skinny elephant seals trade safety for sustenance

By measuring how and when elephant seals sleep, researchers were able to figure out how elephant seals change their risk-taking behavior as they gain weight.

Jessica Kendall-Bar, PhD Candidate in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz • conversation
March 17, 2021 ~9 min

Ancient leaves preserved under a mile of Greenland's ice – and lost in a freezer for years – hold lessons about climate change

This ancient ecosystem showed that the ice sheet had melted to the ground in northern Greenland within the past million years.

Paul Bierman, Fellow of the Gund Institute for Environment, Professor of Geology and Natural Resources, University of Vermont • conversation
March 15, 2021 ~10 min

Billions of cicadas may be coming soon to trees near you

One of the largest groups of 17-year cicadas, Brood X, last emerged from underground in 2004. The next generation will arrive starting in April.

Chris Simon, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut • conversation
March 12, 2021 ~9 min


Tiny cacao flowers and fickle midges are part of a pollination puzzle that limits chocolate production

Entomologists wonder if the insects currently pollinating farmed cacao are the right ones for the task.

DeWayne Shoemaker, Professor and Department Head, Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of Tennessee • conversation
Feb. 10, 2021 ~6 min

Citizen scientists are filling research gaps created by the pandemic

COVID-19 kept many scientists from doing field research in 2020, which means that important records will have data gaps. But volunteers are helping to plug some of those holes.

Kathleen Prudic, Assistant Professor of Citizen and Data Science, University of Arizona • conversation
Feb. 3, 2021 ~10 min

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