Science
Discover facts about science. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Science
Snow geese fly in large V-formations to conserve energy
Each goose in the right spot can use the upward-moving air pushed by the wings of the bird ahead, saving energy in flight. The leader does the less-assisted…
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A Komodo dragon's bite has more than teeth
Its serrated teeth tear flesh, while glands in the lower jaw produce venom containing compounds that interfere with clotting and lower blood pressure. The…
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Millions of red crabs march across Christmas Island
Each year, red crabs head from the forest toward the coast to breed. Females release their eggs into the sea, and the young later travel inland, completing…
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The jellyfish that follow the sun across a lake
Tiny algae living inside the jellyfish need sunlight to make food, and they share some of that food with their host. The jellyfish follows the sun across the…
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Army ants move their entire homes
Instead of building a nest from twigs or soil, army ants make one out of workers linked together. The living shelter protects the queen and young, then comes…
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The kiwi lays an egg huge enough to crowd its organs
A kiwi egg can weigh about a fifth of its mother’s body weight. As it grows, it crowds her organs, making it hard to eat normally and sometimes leaving her…
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Why hippos travel miles inland at night
At night, hippos leave the water to graze when the land is cooler, then head back to pools during the day. Their skin is vulnerable to drying in the sun, so…
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Canada geese travel thousands of miles in rigid formations
A goose following another can ride air currents lifted by the bird ahead’s wings, saving energy. The bird at the front doesn’t get that boost, so flock…
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Tiger salamanders crawl out of burrows to find mating pools
A temporary pool can be a perfect nursery for tiger salamanders: its still water lets eggs hatch and larvae grow. The adults use it for breeding, then return…
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A Chameleon's Tongue Can Reach Twice Its Body Length
A chameleon’s tongue launches like a spring-loaded toy, not like a muscle stretching twice its length. The animal stores elastic energy, then releases it to…
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Triceratops horns were longer than fossils suggest
A fossil usually preserves the horn’s bony core, not its full living covering. Triceratops also had a tough keratin sheath—the same material as your…
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Zambia's Kasanka forest hosts a temporary city of fruit bats
Millions of straw-colored fruit bats gather seasonally as fruit becomes available. They travel out to feed and return to a concentrated roost. The spectacular…
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Pterodactyls were never dinosaurs
Instead of a feathered arm, a pterosaur spread a skin wing supported by an elongated fourth finger. Picture a living kite with one finger doing the work of a…
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These toads return to the ponds where they hatched
A familiar pond gives a returning toad a place to breed—but memory can’t tell it the pond has been paved over. It may reach the old site and have nowhere to…
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Emperor penguins waddle inland to protect their eggs
The male emperor penguin keeps the egg balanced on his feet and tucked beneath a warm fold of skin, away from the ice. He can fast for weeks while the female…
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Earth's atmosphere is overwhelmingly composed of nitrogen
Most of the air you inhale is nitrogen, but its tightly bonded molecules mostly pass through your lungs unchanged. Oxygen, by contrast, moves into your blood…
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Wildebeests cross crocodile-infested rivers in Tanzania
Wildebeests cross dangerous rivers because the grazing on the other side is worth reaching, not because the crossing is safe. Crocodiles are one threat;…
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Monarch migration works like a relay across generations
Eastern North American monarchs breed as they move north, so successive generations continue the journey. A later, long-lived generation flies south and…
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Bighorn sheep move to lower elevations during winter
When winter snow covers high slopes, bighorn sheep head lower, where thinner snow makes plants easier to reach. The trip is about finding food, not settling a…
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Why Gila monsters have enormous tails
A Gila monster stores fat in its thick tail, then draws on that reserve during long stretches without food. As the stored energy gets used, the tail can…
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Why wombats use their backsides as shields
When danger follows a wombat home, the animal can turn around and wedge its tough, cartilage-reinforced backside into the burrow entrance. That leaves a…
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Even a T-Rex couldn't stick out its tongue
The evidence is in the hyoid bones, which supported the tongue. In T. rex fossils, their shape suggests the tongue was anchored to the floor of the mouth,…
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Skunk odor can make a comeback when it gets wet
The spray contains sulfur compounds detectable in tiny quantities. Some related compounds can turn into more of the strong-smelling chemicals when moisture…
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Why double-pane windows contain argon
The gas between double-pane windows slows heat on its way through. The narrow gap limits circulating air, and argon passes heat less readily than ordinary…
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