Incredibly unlucky frogs were almost wiped out by a deadly fungus, but then they evolved
Post-apocalyptic science fiction flicks fill us with fear of a deadly virus wiping out mankind, but that dreadful scenario is something that a population of …
nature
Humans didn’t speed up the drying of the Sahara, and in fact they may have delayed it
Today the Sahara desert is a dry, dusty, sandy land that stretches for millions of miles, but it wasn’t always this way. Go back at …
The University of Central Florida made fake Mars dirt, and now it’s selling it
Mars is a long, long way away, but it’s abundantly clear that getting there is mankind’s next great challenge. Space agencies from around the world …
North Carolina endured Hurricane Florence, but now it’s being invaded by an army of mosquitos
Hurricane Florence tested the resolve of the Carolinas when it made landfall earlier this month, claiming dozens of lives and displacing thousands of coastal residents. …
Cats are apparently terrible at catching rats
Cats are good at so many thing — napping, chasing laser pointer dots around the room, napping, eating, and napping, just to name a few …
Paleontologists discovered the world’s largest ancient bird, so they named it ‘big bird’
There are only a handful of very large bird species around today, but as intimidating as an ostrich might be when it’s staring down at …
Scientists think that maybe electrically shocking coral reefs is a good idea
It’s no secret that the Earth’s coral reefs are in dire need of some TLC. Combinations of severe weather and manmade global warming have left …
Certain female termites decide they don’t need no stinkin’ males to reproduce
There are obviously lots and lots of species in the animal kingdom that require both a male and female for reproduction, but not all of …
Scientists gave a bunch of octopuses ecstasy and they started acting just like humans
You might not imagine that you have much in common with an octopus. Humans and octopuses certainly don’t look similar, and their brains are far …
These big flat blobs might now be the oldest known animals on the entire planet
You’ve probably never heard of a long-extinct organism known as Dickinsonia. Unlike dinosaurs like the Tyrannosaurus rex or more recent extinct beasts like the wooly …
An army of spiders is slowly taking over a Greek town, but it’s totally fine
Arachnophobes will want to avoid the Greek town of Aitoliko for a while. That’s because a massive army of eight-legged web weavers has descended upon …
Apparently we’re all supposed to be nice to wasps now
Bees and wasps are two very different creatures. Bees are friendly little fellas that give us honey and might maybe leave a welt on your …
This shark species doesn’t mind eating veggies once in a while
Sharks, the fearsome predators of the deep blue sea, are some of the most deadly animals on the planet. Their teeth are made for tearing …
Earthquake rocks Japan, causing mudslides and burying homes
A powerful 6.7-magnitude earthquake rocked the island of Hokkaido in Japan early today. Residents of the island, which is the northernmost large island of Japan, …
Scientists built a robot that hunts and kills starfish
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef has seen better days. The massive natural wonder is dealing with the impacts of ocean warming (thanks to manmade climate change) …
This 61-year-old man survived a great white shark attack by beating it up
An idyllic dip in the ocean off the coast of Massachusetts turned into an actual nightmare for 61-year-old William Lytton earlier this month. Without warning, …
Lonely dolphin has humped so many tourists that a French town had to ban swimming with him
A tiny seaside town in northwestern France has been forced to warn locals and tourists against swimming in the ocean. What could possibly warrant such …
Massive squid washes up on New Zealand beach, and it’s a true sea monster
Sailors used to share tales of “sea monsters” with massive tentacles that could drag an entire ship and its crew down to the ocean depths. …
Ohio’s ‘Bee Man’ tackles supersized hornet nest, doesn’t break a sweat
When most people hear what sounds like the buzzing of a wasp they tend move rapidly in the opposite direction. Not The Bee Man. No, …
Brazilian government sends drones to spy on tribes that have never seen the outside world
Modern technology makes it so easy to connect with people all over the world that it might sound crazy to think that there are still …
Scientists stumble upon baby horse frozen in time for 40,000 years
Finding the remains of animals that have been dead for tens of thousands of years isn’t easy. If you’re lucky, you’ll find a handful of …
Texas man survived shark attack, but then his luck ran out
Getting into a close encounter with one of the most perfect predators on the planet is not an ideal situation for anyone, but that’s exactly …
Paleontologists discover fossil of ancient turtle species that never grew a shell
When it comes to animals with iconic features, the turtle is high on the list. Deer have horns, kangaroos have pouches, humans have existential dread, …
Study says Earth’s magnetic field has shifted rapidly in the past, and if it happens again it could be catastrophic
One of the big reasons that life thrives on Earth is that it’s protected from some of the more harsh phenomenon of space by something …
Does evolution favor the lazy? Scientists think it might
If you’re sitting on the internet and reading this story instead of doing something more important that you KNOW you should be doing, I have …
Scientists are tracing the age of the ancestor of life on Earth, and they just released their findings
Today, the Earth is covered with life in countless forms, but four billion years ago there was no life on our rocky world. So, it …
If you’re flushing your contact lenses down the toilet you should probably stop
You don’t have to look very far to see the negative effects of humanity’s presence on the planet. Walk on any nature trail and you’re …
The oldest flying reptile ever discovered was just found in Utah
Over the decades, Utah has proven to be a real hotspot for fossil hunters, and it just yielded yet another amazing find. There in the …
This park has a flock of trained birds that clean up after lazy humans
For the most part, humans are lazy slobs. We leave our trash just about everywhere — including the farthest reaches of the ocean and even …
Brilliant activists turned river trash into a floating park, and it’s awesome
We’ve already established that mankind has a big, big problem cleaning up after itself, but there’s at least a small percentage of humans who are …
