An ancient sponge, similar to the modern creatures of reefs and seafloors, is the "Eve" from which all animals arose, says a researcher who studies the genetic code of marine organisms. The work is featured in a new National Geographic television series, The Shape of Life, on the origins of the animal kingdom's remarkable diversity.
Two-headed snakes are rare but not unheard of, and one recently found in Spain is giving scientists an opportunity to study how the anomaly affects their ability to hunt and eat.
The dodo, poster bird for species extinction, has a pitiful reputation as a stupendously overweight idiot of a bird that couldn't even fly. But scientific evidence is slowly correcting that impression. Its new rep: an evolutionary success, perfectly adapted to its living conditions, thin and relatively fast, but still an early victim to the spread of man.
A team of bird experts just spent 30 days combing an area of southeast Louisiana in the hope of finding the ivory-billed woodpecker, which was thought to be extinct until it apparently was sighted three years ago. The signs were encouraging, offering hope that the bird still exists.
The selection of the snowshoe hare, the coyote, and the black bear as this Winter Olympics' mascots has provided wildlife conservationists with an opportunity to raise public awareness of the killing of tens of thousands of these animals each year in predator-control programs.
Japan kills hundreds of whales every year claiming that it's necessary for scientific study—a move that outrages many people around the world. Now, Australian scientists have developed a research method that will further contest the long-disputed practice.
Hawaii's state bird, a goose called the nene, is now endangered. Scientists working to learn more about it made a surprising discovery: The Hawaiian goose and its extinct cousins are descendents of Canada geese that moved to a more tropical environment thousands of years ago.
In Alaska, Yellowstone, British Columbia—wherever the land is wild and the salmon are plentiful, there are bear viewers. But as the number of them soars, many concerned experts say the industry needs to be regulated before someone gets hurt.
Extensive sea ice and two massive icebergs along the coastline of Antarctica disrupted the breeding season and foraging of several penguin colonies this year. With their normal swimming routes blocked, some penguins have to walk for days going to and from their colonies.
To most men, a woman's body language is one of the most mystifying things in the universe. But male satin bowerbirds have cracked the code, and modify their courtship based on females' body language, a new study shows.
Among birders, the majestic black and white ivory-billed woodpecker holds the status of the Holy Grail. Many people believe it's extinct. But others disagree, and have mounted an expedition to comb the swamps of Louisiana in search of the bird.
Evolutionary biologists have long wondered why females in most species typically mate with more than one male. A study of crickets suggests female promiscuity is a hedge against giving birth to the young of a sibling or close relative.
Scientists have known surprisingly little about white sharks—how long they live, where they go to breed, how often they reproduce. A new study using satellite technology is providing the data needed to answer some of the questions.
