Human eye beats machine in archaeological color identification test
A ruler and scale can tell archaeologists the size and weight of a fragment of pottery – but identifying its…
Shark attack numbers remained ‘extremely low’ in 2020, but fatalities spiked
Shark attacks decreased for the third consecutive year, falling to 57 unprovoked bites worldwide in 2020, compared with 64 bites…
Rare lichen unique to Florida discovered in museum collections, may be extinct
Scientists have found a new species of fleshy verdigris lichen, thanks to DNA analysis of museum specimens. Misidentified by its…
Unsure how to help reverse insect declines? Scientists suggest simple ways
Entomologist Akito Kawahara’s message is straightforward: We can’t live without insects. They’re in trouble. And there’s something all...
New genus of tiny, iridescent snake from Philippines found in collection
To be fair, the newly described Waray dwarf burrowing snake is pretty great at hiding. In its native habitat on…
Ancient DNA retells story of Caribbean’s first people
The history of the Caribbean’s original islanders comes into sharper focus in a new Nature study that combines decades of…
Top killers of Florida birds: Trauma on land, starvation at sea
An analysis of birds that died at Florida wildlife rehabilitation clinics found songbirds and other land-dwelling species were most often…
Remote Hawaiian island harbors last land snails of their kind
The island of Nihoa, a slice of jagged rock that juts out of the Pacific Ocean, is the sole refuge…
Earliest example of a rapid-fire tongue found in ‘weird and wonderful’ extinct amphibians
Fossils of bizarre, armored amphibians known as albanerpetontids provide the oldest evidence of a slingshot-style tongue, a new Science study…
Beware the underwater vampires
The sea is full of vampires, animals whose sustenance comes from the blood of other animals. We highlight five bloodsuckers…