The risk of snakebites is increasing across the world as reptiles shift their habitats to cope with rising temperatures and growing human pressures, a study of venomous snakes has found.
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Queenless wasp colonies explode into chaos but hidden helpers save them
When a queen wasp suddenly disappears, her colony doesn’t calmly choose a successor — it erupts into chaos. Researchers found that female wasps immediately begin battling for power, shattering the colony’s social order in a frenzy of aggression. But while some fight for the throne, others quietly become the colony’s...
Venomous Himalayan pit viper was actually 5 different species all along
Hidden deep in the towering mountains of the Himalayas, one of Asia’s most mysterious venomous snakes has been keeping a major secret for over 160 years. Scientists have now discovered that the so-called Himalayan pit viper is not just one species, but actually five separate species — including three completely...
Deadly fungus and lung parasites are hammering wild rattlesnakes
A sweeping new study of wild snakes in the southeastern US has revealed a hidden health crisis slithering beneath the surface. Researchers found that many snakes are carrying multiple infections at once, with a dangerous fungal disease called ophidiomycosis — or snake fungal disease — emerging as one of the...
Scientists Deploy Experimental Elkhorn Corals to Dry Tortugas to Test Introduction of New Genetic Diversity
Azara’s owl monkeys, a small primate species found in South America, are heavier today than those that lived a quarter-century ago, and evidence suggests that rising temperatures might have driven the weight gain, according to a Yale-led study of a wild population.
New Global Map Helps Protect the World’s Lakes
A new, interactive global map has been launched to help people understand how pollution and climate change are affecting lakes around the world.
Extreme Heat Is Rising. What Are Duke Researchers Learning About Its Impacts?
If this year feels hotter than the ones you remember, you’re not imagining it.
This prehistoric fish may explain how animals first walked on Earth
Scientists have peered inside the skull of a 380-million-year-old Antarctic fish that was closely related to the first animals to walk on land, revealing surprising clues about how life began its move out of the water. Using advanced neutron imaging, researchers discovered that Koharalepis jarviki had features suited for living...
100-million-year-old bug had crab-like claws unlike any known insect
Deep inside 100-million-year-old amber from Myanmar, scientists uncovered a bizarre ancient bug with clawed front legs that look more like a crab’s pincers than anything seen in modern insects. The discovery is so unusual that researchers say these crab-like “chelae” evolved independently in this lineage, making it only the fourth...
Adorable tiny blue octopus found nearly 6,000 feet beneath the Galápagos
A mysterious little blue octopus discovered nearly 6,000 feet beneath the waters of the Galápagos Islands has officially been identified as a brand-new species. About the size of a golf ball, the tiny creature stunned researchers during a deep-sea expedition when it suddenly appeared on camera, crawling across the ocean...