Wavering Warblers
Scientists have discovered surprising geographical variation in what some female songbirds find attractive in a mate.
Sexy Fruit Flies
In a species of fruit fly, a male's attractiveness to the opposite sex gets passed from one generation to the next.
Podcast
Genes and the Brain: What mice can tell us about cocaine addiction and our ability to tell hot from cold. Plus: could a gene contribute to poor judgment?
Cooling Menthol
How menthol and the ability to sense cold are genetically linked.
Cocaine-resistant Mice
Mice lacking a single receptor in the brain don't become dependent on cocaine.
Animal Storm Detection
A listener asks: Can animals sense natural disasters before they happen?
Podcast
Evolution Special: The history of dogs, butterflies vs. cabbages and the world's largest scorpion. Plus: Could there be life two miles beneath Antarctica?
Butterfly Co-Evolution
Plants of the cabbage family evolved a toxic herbicide to ward off pests. But some insects evolved a way around it.
Podcast
A snail hides in plain sight. A high-speed continental collision. And what fossils tell us about future extinctions.
Snail Camouflage
A sneaky snail evades predators by creating a unique form of organic camouflage.
Animal Behavior Roundup
Fish suffer from sleep deprivation just like humans.
Podcast
When plants heat things up. How dolphins sleep. "Healthy" restaurants that aren't. Army ant groupies. And more.
Sleeping Dolphins
A listener asks: Why don't dolphins drown while they sleep?
Fear and Bonding Roundup
The hormone oxytocin helps mothers bond with their babies.
Podcast
How spiders avoid getting caught. Plastic that's as strong as steel. A purpose for the appendix? And more.
Spider Webs
A listener asks: Can spiders get caught in the webs of other spiders?
Bug Behavior Roundup
Two tiny organisms team up to brew a deadly toxin.
Podcast
Chewing gum that's not sticky. Worms and bacteria team up. Some very hairy genetics. And more.
Woolly DNA
Woolly mammoths went extinct thousands of years ago. But now their genetic past is being resurrected through new DNA techniques.
Autism Mouse
A new mouse model of autism may be the closest thing yet to replicating the condition in animals.
Podcast
Whale-inspired windmills. Tracing the origins of a killer asteroid. Using vowels to sell. And more.
Whale Energy
The shape of humpback whale flippers could make wind energy more efficient.