| Read time: 4 minute(s)

The mystical power of a white bear dreaming.

Is it a sign? This picture has won a top photography prize — but it owes its effect as much to its symbolism as it does to a good eye and technical expertise. An amateur photographer from the UK has won a prestigious Wildlife Photographer Of The Year award with this emotive shot of a […]
| Read time: 4 minute(s)

46,000-year-old worms brought back to life from Siberian permafrost

Scientists discovered and reanimated two kinds of frozen microscopic nematodes or roundworms in Siberia five years ago. A new study on them published last Thursday reveals their secrets, including the fact that they are 46,000 years old and one of them is an entirely new species that has never before been discovered. Many animals like […]
| Read time: 4 minute(s)

An otter in Santa Cruz is hassling surfers — and stealing their boards

An aggressive sea otter in California is hassling locals by riding boards she stole from surfers in the lineup. Steamer Lane is a legendary point break nestled along the rocky shores of Santa Cruz, home to swaths of experienced surfers, as well as a 5-year-old female sea otter with a growing reputation for repeatedly confronting […]
| Read time: 5 minute(s)

World’s Oldest Mouse? A Pocket Mouse Named Pat

A tiny mouse at the San Diego Zoo has set a new world record for the oldest known living mouse. The mouse, named Pat, turned nine years and 209 days old last Wednesday. Pat is a Pacific pocket mouse, which is the smallest kind of mouse in North America. He weighs about as much as […]
| Read time: 3 minute(s)

Patron the bomb sniffling hero

A tiny Jack Russell terrier has won hearts and admirers for helping neutralize hundreds of Russian explosives in Ukraine. Now he’s won state honors, too. Patron the bomb-sniffing dog– and his owner, Mykhailo Iliev of the Civil Protection Service— received a medal from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a news conference on Sunday, in recognition […]
| Read time: 3 minute(s)

Mexican Axolotl

Mexican axolotl (pronounced ACK-suh-LAH-tuhl) salamanders are amphibians that spend their whole lives underwater. They exist in the wild in only one place—the lake complex of Xochimilco (pronounced SO-chee-MILL-koh), a network of artificial channels, small lakes, and temporary wetlands that help supply water to nearby Mexico City’s 18 million residents. Amphibians are cold-blooded vertebrates (vertebrates have […]
| Read time: 5 minute(s)

Sea Dragon: 180-Million-Year-Old Fossil of a Giant Sea Creature Discovered in the UK

Scientists have discovered a large sea creature’s fossilised remains from the bottom of a lagoon in England. Colloquially referred to as sea dragon, it is the only most complete fossil of the ancient sea creature obtained from the UK. The remains of the ichthyosaur—large extinct marine reptiles—were found in the Rutland Water Nature Reserve. A […]
| Read time: 6 minute(s)

Are birds like humans?

As we learn about our feathered friends, their feats of language, memory and even artistic appreciation raise questions about how different we really are. At the end of each day, as Irene Pepperberg placed her parrot Alex back into his cage, he would bid her goodnight: “You be good, see you tomorrow. I love you.” […]
| Read time: 3 minute(s)

One more point to Slytherin!

If you’re a Harry Potter fan and also a researcher of snakes, the chances are you will be allowed in the House of Slytherin.  No surprises here then that when Harry Potter books lovers discovered a new species of snake, they named him after Salazar Slytherin. A new green pit viper species discovered in a […]
| Read time: 5 minute(s)

Philadelphia Will Go Dark to Protect Birds

Starting April 1, many of the skyscrapers and other buildings in Philadelphia will be going dark at night. Though the move will cut down on energy use, the main goal of the effort is to help protect migrating birds. Why do birds Migrate? Many kinds of birds migrate twice a year, raising a family in […]