Life

  1. Animals

    The tiniest serpent

    The smallest species of snake ever discovered lives on the Caribbean island of Barbados.

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  2. Animals

    From dipping to fishing

    Scientists retool thinking about chimp innovation.

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  3. Animals

    Blooming jellies

    Jellyfish and other gooey marine creatures are showing up in new places, and scientists are trying to discover why.

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  4. Animals

    Listening to birdsong

    Among certain finches, a lady bird knows when a gentleman bird is sending subtle messages in his calls—ones that people can't detect.

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  5. Animals

    Explainer: Jelly vs. jellyfish: What’s the difference?

    Not all jellies are jellyfish

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  6. Animals

    Animal CSI or from science lab to crime lab

    Scientists are finding new ways to help stop poachers from hunting endangered animals.

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  7. Animals

    Diving, rolling and floating, alligator style

    Alligators use the muscles around their lungs in a surprising way—to help them move quickly and smoothly through the swamps and waterways in which they live.

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  8. Health & Medicine

    Mind-reading machine

    Researchers have used brain scans to measure how the brain "sees" pictures—and to try to predict what a person is looking at.

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  9. Ecosystems

    When fungi and algae marry

    Lichens live in nearly every environment on Earth, but scientists are still discovering basic information about them.

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  10. Animals

    Deep krill

    Scientists were surprised to find Antarctic krill lurking at the bottom of the sea.

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  11. Animals

    A ‘book’ on every living thing

    The biggest encyclopedia ever, with an entry for every living species, is available now at a computer near you.

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  12. Fossils

    Flight without sonar

    An ancient bat fossil suggests that bats were flying before they were echolocating.

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