Jack Tamisiea is a science journalist based in Washington, D.C., who covers natural history and the environment. Follow Tamisiea on Twitter @jack_tamisiea
Humans Started Passing Down Knowledge to Future Generations 600,000 Years Ago
The advent of “cumulative culture”—teaching others and passing down that knowledge—may have reached an inflection point around the time Neandertals and modern humans split from a common ancestor
Chickadees Use Brain-Cell ‘Barcodes’ to Remember Where They Stashed Their Snacks
Unique patterns of neuron activation help tiny birds catalog thousands of scattered food caches
Why Cicadas Power Spray Their Pee
Thirsty cicadas produce more powerful jets of urine than some mammals
These Electric Fish Detect Images of What Their Companions Are ‘Seeing’
Schools of brainiac fish share “images” of nearby objects and use their extraordinary ability to see farther
Stunning Dragonlike Fossil Reptile Found in China
The ancient reptile Dinocephalosaurus had a neck of mythic proportions
An Evolutionary ‘Big Bang’ Explains Why Snakes Come in So Many Strange Varieties
Snakes saw a burst of adaptation about 128 million years ago that led to them exploding in diversity and evolving up to three times faster than lizards
A Dog Breed’s Size and Face Shape Might Predict How Long It Lives
Traits such as face shape, size and sex help predict a dog breed’s life span
This Tiny Marsupial Gives Up Sleep for Sex, Then Drops Dead
The mouselike male antechinus goes all out for its first and final mating season
Eyeless Cave Spiders Can Still ‘See’ the Light
Some species of cave-dwelling spiders lack eyes but still maintain the ability to sense light, which likely protects them from the arid environments at the sunny mouths of caves
Cats Kill a Staggering Number of Species across the World
Domestic cats are cherished human companions, but a new study shows the enormous breadth of species the felines prey on when they are left to roam freely
Nesting Penguins Take More Than 10,000 Mini Naps Every Day
Chinstrap Penguins take more than 10,000 seconds-long naps during the day to remain vigilant while incubating their eggs
Rats Use the Power of Imagination to Navigate and Move Objects in a VR Landscape
Experiments visualize a rodent’s ability to imagine the future
Mysterious Galápagos Reefs Harbor Strawberry Squid and Other Fantastic Creatures
A deep-sea expedition discovers a strange, dark world of strawberry squid and ratfish in cold-water corals near the Galápagos Islands
We Finally Know Where Oranges and Lemons Come From
In addition to finding where citrus come from, researchers have pinpointed the genetic origins of the fruits’ tart taste
Last Meal of 465-Million-Year-Old Trilobite Discovered
Scientists have uncovered an ancient trilobite’s last meal preserved inside a nearly intact fossil
Pink Diamonds Erupted to Earth’s Surface after Early Supercontinent’s Breakup
Western Australia’s Argyle Mine is famous for its rare pink diamonds, and scientists now think they know how these formed: a tectonic collision followed by the breakup of a supercontinent
Strange Ecosystem Found Thriving below Seafloor Hydrothermal Vents
An expedition using a deep-sea remotely operated vehicle has uncovered a hidden underground ecosystem below hydrothermal vents on the seafloor
Are ‘Cocaine Sharks’ Really Scarfing Down Drugs off Florida’s Coasts?
With their stealth, speed and serrated teeth, sharks are predators to be reckoned with. And that’s before factoring in the cocaine some sharks may be eating
Mammals Preyed on Much Larger Dinosaurs, a Stunning New Fossil Reveals
An extraordinary fossil captures the moment when a hungry mammal attacked a dinosaur
462-Million-Year-Old Fossil Trove Holds Miniature World of Marine Creatures
Paleontologists have uncovered a miniature world of sea creatures whose tiny guts, eyes and even brains remain visible 462 million years after they perished
50,000 Worms Tangled Up in a Ball Unravel in an Explosive Burst when a Predator Appears
California blackworms make a contribution to the math and physics of knot tying by demoing twisting motions that help them escape a tangled worm ball
Was the Tully Monster a Fish, a Worm, a Giant Slug with Fangs?
Researchers close in on a taxonomic home for one of paleontology’s weirdest wonders, the Tully Monster
How Bears Hibernate without Getting Blood Clots
Hibernating brown bears avoid the blood clots that can develop in even temporarily immobile people. Scientists now think they know how the animals do it
Tiny Spider Fells Prey Many Times Its Size
A spider that caught and devoured a much larger shrew for its meal adds to evidence that more spiders aren’t strangers to dining on vertebrates