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Sharper Than a Serpent’s Tooth
A new study of venomous reptile fossils sheds light on the evolution of snake fangs. By Hans-Dieter Sues Venom is a highly effective means to subdue and kill prey before eating it, as well as a great...
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New Beetle Species, Named for National Geographic, Sheds Light on Island...
By Jesús Gómez-Zurita New Caledonia, an island archipelago east of Australia, has long been recognized as a hotspot for biodiversity, maintaining a rich and mostly endemic flora and fauna, including...
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Fishing for Lizards
Neil Losin is a National Geographic Young Explorer pursuing his Ph.D. in UCLA’s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Cuban Brown Anole. Photo by Neil Losin Losin received a grant from...
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An Earful of Jawbones
The middle ear of mammals contains a chain of three tiny bones (auditory ossicles), the hammer (malleus), anvil (incus), and stirrup (stapes). This chain transmits and amplifies sound vibrations from...
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Will the Human Global Superorganism Secure Our Place in the Universe?
Timed for Earth Day 2011, a powerful new book provides a fresh perspective about Earth and the odyssey of perhaps its greatest achievement, humans, from the beginnings of the planet to the critical...
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Lizard Genome Promises Great Advances in Understanding Evolution
One of these species has had its genome sequenced, and the other has independently evolved to look very similar and live in the same environment. The anole genome will make anoles an even more...
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Hairy Skin May Keep the Bedbugs From Biting
Photo by Darlyne A. Murawski According to new research, having hairy skin may help a person ward off bedbugs. Participants in a study conducted by scientists at the University of Sheffield...
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For Roosters Comb Size is Big Cue for Sex
USDA photo by Stephen Ausmus. Farmers and other breeders of poultry have long known that the comb, that reddish display of spiky skin on top of chicken heads, can be a reliable indicator of health and...
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Galapagos Expedition Journal: In the Footsteps of Charles Darwin
This is the third post in my account of a ten-day exploration of the Galapagos, on board the National Geographic Endeavour. In the first post, I described our arrival on the island of San Cristobal and...
View ArticleTop 10 “Nat Geo Talks” Videos for 2012
Live presentations have been a part of National Geographic since the Society’s inception in the 19th century, allowing people to embark for an evening on expeditions to the far reaches of the world...
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“Lazy” Algae Freeload Off Toxic Kin
No such thing as a free lunch? That may not be the case for a certain strain of single-celled algae, a new study says. The microscopic organism is apparently even lazier than normal algae, which never...
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Tapeworm Eggs Found in Ancient Shark Feces
A cluster of tapeworm eggs have been discovered in 270 million-year-old fossilized shark feces, a new study says. The find suggests that the intestinal parasites, common in vertebrates, are much older...
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“Phallus” Worm Is Evolutionary Missing Link
A phallus-shaped worm that lived 505 million years ago is heads above the rest—it’s a “missing link” between two lineages of acorn worms, a new study says. Dubbed Spartobranchus tenuis, the odd...
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April Fools’ Day: Nature’s Wildest Masters of Deception
An octopus hides in a clam shell. Photograph by Mona Dienhart, My Shot By Linda Poon April Fools’ Day is when people roll out their best pranks, tricks, and other shenanigans just for the sake of a...
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Lip-Smacking Primate Hints at Speech Evolution
Speech is integral to who we are as a species, but how did it evolve? The lip-smacking sounds made by a rare African primate may provide a clue, a new study says. Most primates make rudimentary calls...
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Moth’s Superhearing Evolved to Escape Bats
The greater wax moth can hear at a higher frequency than any other animal on Earth, according to a new study. These insects, whose ears are each only about the size of a pinhead, can recognize sounds...
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In Canada’s Ancient Water, New Life
On a planet with an unchanging amount of water, and a pretty good idea where all of it is, scientists have uncovered something startling up in Ontario, Canada. Water locked deep under Canadian bedrock...
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Sperm Hoarders: Why Animals Store Semen
Female guppies (Poecilia reticulata) sometimes bring a little extra baggage to a relationship—in the form of a dead male’s sperm. A new study shows that one in four wild guppies in Trinidad and Tobago...
View ArticleTop 10 Headlines Today: Cosmic Currency, Oldest DNA…
The top 10 news stories on our radar today. Tell @NatGeo what you’re reading with #NatGeoDaily Paypal To Launch Inter-Planetary Payment System “With companies like Virgin Galactic and Space X...
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Moths Vibrate Genitals to Avoid Bats
In the air wars between bats and moths, the bugs are fighting back—by shaking their privates. It’s no award-winning dance move, but a new study shows that hawkmoths in Borneo (map) jiggle their junk to...
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