World’s soft coral diversity retains signature of an ancient, vanished sea
It is of vital importance to, on occasion, consider how little we know about the spinning rock we all live…
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100 new ribbon worm species and counting
Most are smaller than a toothpick, though some can grow longer than a blue whale. Some of them come in…
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Paper addresses natural history collections’ role in pandemic preparedness
Natural history collections contain information needed to prevent, prepare for, and respond to disease outbreaks that could turn into a…
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From prehistoric resident to runaway pet: First tegu fossil found in the U.S.
Originally from South America, the charismatic tegu made its way to the United States via the pet trade of the…
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Giant croclike carnivore fossils found in the Caribbean
Imagine a crocodile built like a greyhound — that’s a sebecid. Standing tall, with some species reaching 20 feet in…
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Introduced trees are becoming more common in the eastern United States, while native diversity declines
In the largest study of its kind, researchers at the Florida Museum of Natural History have used data from a…
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Over one-fifth of native North American pollinators at elevated risk of extinction
A pivotal new study led by NatureServe reveals that more than 22% of native pollinators in North America are at…
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Unique dove species is the dodo of the Caribbean and in similar danger of dying out
On first inspection, the Cuban blue-headed quail dove doesn’t look like much: drab brown feathers, a slender beak, a pronounced…
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Unprovoked shark bites plummeted in 2024
2024 was an exceptionally calm year for shark bites. Worldwide, there were only 47 unprovoked attacks, down 22 from the…
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This mysterious plant fossil belongs to a family that no longer exists
In 1969, fossilized leaves of the species Othniophyton elongatum — which translates to “alien plant” — were identified in eastern…
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