All Stories by Sarah Zielinski
- Animals
A whale of a journey
The 5,200-kilometer (3,200 mile) journey of Isabela provides a window into the migration patterns of blue whales.
- Animals
This endangered species gives new meaning to ‘single mom’
Scientists have found DNA evidence that in the wild, sawfish have produced offspring without mating. That’s a first for an animal with a backbone.
- Animals
Where an ant goes when it’s gotta go
The black garden ant has been spotted defecating inside its own nest. Scientists now characterize these spots as ant toilets.
- Animals
Cats and foxes are eating up Australia’s mammals
Since the arrival of Europeans in Australia, a startling number of mammal species have disappeared. A new study puts much of the blame on cats and foxes introduced by the early settlers.
- Animals
Shark: Who’s your daddy?
Female sharks can store sperm from a male for months before releasing a case containing a fertilized egg. But almost 4 years? That’s a new record that has biologists scratching their heads over how this could have happened.
- Animals
Climate change brings new neighborhood birds
Climate change has made winters a little bit warmer. Many bird species are now wintering a lot farther north than they did a few decades ago, a new study finds.
- Animals
Crabs play defense, save corals
In 2008, an outbreak of large starfish killed off much of a coral reef. But some patches were spared. New data point to why: Mini crabs had fended off the big attackers.
- Environment
Will water woes leave Americans thirsty?
In the United States, people often assume that clean water will always be available. But factors ranging from global warming to pollution have begun threatening drinking-water supplies.
- Animals
Wind farms: Restaurants for seals?
Scientists have tracked harbor seals visiting the turbines of ocean wind farms. The predators may be drawn by fish that make their homes in the artificial reefs created by the manmade structures.
- Fossils
Fossil hunting can start as child’s play
Paleontology isn’t just for professionals. You don’t even need to be a teen to sometimes make startling — and scientifically important — contributions.
- Fossils
Explainer: How a fossil forms
Minerals can replace any bone, shell or once-living tissue and also fill in the spaces between these hard parts, birthing a fossil.
