Nature

About Nature

Uncover stories carved by wind and water — extraordinary wildlife, extreme environments and the hidden forces of nature.

nature11 Jul 2026

Sahara Silver Ant Hairs Help It Run in Extreme Heat

The Sahara silver ant survives and stays active on scorching desert surfaces because its dense, triangular hairs reflect sunlight and help reduce overheating.

nature30 Jun 2026

Yellowstone Wolves Helped Reshape Willows, Beavers, and Streams

Yellowstone’s wolf reintroduction in 1995 helped change elk browsing behavior in some riparian areas, allowing willows to recover and, in turn, supporting beavers and wetland habitat.

Quote Explained

It is horrifying that we have to fight our own Government to save our environment.

— Ansel Adams

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nature20 Jun 2026

Ansel Adams Quote on Government and Conservation Fights

The line mattered because it captured the conflict between environmental protection and government-backed development, and it became a memorable statement of conservation opposition to federal power.

nature14 Jun 2026

Chernobyl Fungi and How Radiation Still Moves

After the Chernobyl disaster, researchers found melanized fungi in contaminated areas that could tolerate intense radiation and help move radionuclides through the environment.

nature13 Jun 2026

Invasive Tunicates Are Slowing Maine Lobster Fishing

Invasive tunicates are coating lobster traps in the Gulf of Maine, making gear heavier, messier, and more time-consuming to haul and clean.

Yellow-Spotted River Turtles Time Nesting Around the Full Moon

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nature02 Jun 2026

Yellow-Spotted River Turtles Time Nesting Around the Full Moon

Researchers have observed that yellow-spotted river turtles nest more often near the full moon and that many hatchlings emerge together in a single-night burst.

8 Bioluminescent Fungi with Surprising Green Glows at Night

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nature01 Jun 2026

8 Bioluminescent Fungi with Surprising Green Glows at Night

This list highlights bioluminescent fungi and shows how their glow can appear in different fungal structures, from gills and stems to hidden mycelium in wood and soil.

Quote Explained

In wildness is the preservation of the world

— Henry David Thoreau

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nature19 May 2026

Henry David Thoreau's Wildness Quote and Its Lasting Power

The line mattered because it argued that wild nature was necessary and became a lasting slogan for wilderness preservation and conservation.

nature18 May 2026

Virginia Eelgrass Restoration Reshaped Coastal Bays

Virginia’s eelgrass restoration expanded from repeated seed plantings into more than 3,500 hectares of underwater meadow that helps clear water, stabilize sediments, and support bay scallops.

nature15 May 2026

Svalbard Reindeer Eat Seaweed When Winter Ice Blocks Grazing

Researchers in Norway documented Svalbard reindeer eating seaweed in winter when ice seals off their usual tundra forage.

nature12 May 2026

Great Barrier Reef Bleaching Can Shift Coral Recovery

Repeated bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef can shift coral recovery toward brooding species, changing which corals recruit after damage and potentially altering reef structure and habitat value.

nature05 May 2026

Asian Longhorned Beetle in New York Changed City Trees

New York removed thousands of urban trees, including apparently healthy maples, to stop the spread of the Asian longhorned beetle.

nature27 Apr 2026

Namib Desert Fog-Basking Beetles Harvest Water From Air

Namib Desert beetles collect water from fog by tilting their bodies so condensation forms on their wing covers and rolls to their mouths, inspiring fog-harvesting technology.

nature25 Apr 2026

Kotogahama Beach's Singing Sand Has a Physical Cause

Kotogahama Beach’s “singing sand” squeaks because rounded, well-sorted quartz grains rub together under the right dry conditions.

nature24 Apr 2026

Kawah Ijen Sulfur Miners and the Blue Fire

The article explains how Kawah Ijen’s blue sulfur flames form and how miners work in dangerous conditions extracting sulfur from the crater.

nature16 Apr 2026

Australian Ants Farm Scale Insects on Tree Roots

Some ants in Australia tend root-feeding scale insects underground, protecting and moving them to keep a steady supply of honeydew.

nature14 Apr 2026

Channel Islands Fox Recovery Preserved Each Island's Genetics

The Channel Islands fox’s recovery was managed as separate island lineages, using captive breeding, studbooks, and careful genetic tracking to restore populations without mixing them.

nature03 Apr 2026

How House Mice Turned Into Albatross Predators on Gough Island

House mice introduced to Gough Island became unusually large and predatory, and have been reported attacking and eating seabird chicks, including albatross chicks.

nature01 Apr 2026

Florida's Burmese Pythons Are Eating Alligators Too

Burmese pythons in South Florida’s Everglades are a major invasive predator because they can eat prey as large as alligators, along with a range of other animals.

nature29 Mar 2026

Why Some Stickleback Fish Lost Their Armor

Some Alaskan stickleback fish evolved to lose much of their bony armor after becoming isolated in freshwater, likely because changing predation pressure made heavy plating less advantageous.

nature29 Mar 2026

Libyan Desert Glass Still Has an Origin Problem

Libyan Desert Glass is a natural glass formed about 29 million years ago by extreme heat, but scientists still debate whether that heat came from an impact or an airburst.

nature27 Mar 2026

How Some Bleached Corals Grow Back From What's Left

Researchers found that some Acropora corals on the Keppel Islands regrew after severe bleaching by expanding surviving living tissue near their bases, rather than dying outright.

nature20 Mar 2026

How One East African Cichlid Rebuilds Its Jaw to Crack Snails

The East African cichlid Astatoreochromis alluaudi can reshape its pharyngeal jaw in response to a snail-heavy diet, improving its ability to crush hard shells.

nature19 Mar 2026

How Sable Island's Horses Find Water on a Dry, Wind-Scoured Island

Sable Island’s feral horses survive by adapting to scarce freshwater and harsh island conditions, including digging for shallow groundwater and sometimes tolerating brackish water.

nature18 Mar 2026

Why Lemurs in Madagascar Rub Millipedes on Their Fur

Lemurs in Madagascar have been observed chewing or crushing millipedes and rubbing their defensive secretions onto their fur and bodies, apparently to help repel insects and reduce irritation.

nature17 Mar 2026

Aldabra Giant Tortoises Are Being Used to Restore Seychelles Habitats

Conservationists are relocating Aldabra giant tortoises to help manage vegetation through grazing, opening up habitat, and possibly spreading seeds.

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Strange accidents Moon mysteries I love fish!

nature13 Mar 2026

Australian Firehawks May Use Burning Sticks to Flush Out Prey

Reports and observations suggest some northern Australian raptors, such as black kites and whistling kites, may pick up smoldering sticks and move fire to flush prey and improve hunting opportunities, though the behavior is still not fully understood.

nature08 Mar 2026

Why You Can Catch Cold After Cold

The common cold is a broad category of infections caused by more than 200 viruses, so repeated colds usually reflect exposure to different viruses rather than a single illness.

nature07 Mar 2026

Why Fireflies Glow, Flash, and Sometimes Fade from View

Fireflies make light through a luciferin-luciferase reaction in abdominal lanterns, and their species-specific flash patterns help them communicate and find mates.

nature07 Mar 2026

Naked Mole-Rats and the Biology of Cancer Resistance

Naked mole-rats are studied for an unusual resistance to cancer that has been linked to high-molecular-mass hyaluronan in their tissues.