The Big Picture 2022Photo Gallery 06.08.2022From the beautiful to the bizarre, this photographic showcase of life on Earth shines a light on some of our planet’s most amazing species and places.
Downward SpiralArticle 06.04.2022The nautilus’s lineage made it through all five of Earth’s previous mass extinctions. But can it survive the Anthropocene?
Atonement in the KitchenArticle 06.03.2022One way to make sense of the senseless slaughter of roadkill? Salvage it for food.
Love TrainSpotlight 06.03.2022The Kangaroo Island echidna may seem bizarre, but the spiky mammal’s quirks have helped it survive cataclysmic change.
Sassy SousliksSpotlight 05.10.2022Facing stiff odds and steep population declines across Europe, can these versatile and tenacious ground squirrels fight back?
Undertakers of the ForestSpotlight 05.02.2022Tiny, shape-shifting slime molds have an outsized influence on the cycle of life.
Beautiful UglySpotlight 04.22.2022While the Asian sheepshead wrasse’s allure may be debatable, the fish’s color-changing, sex-changing abilities are hard to disregard.
Keeping the Magic AliveSpotlight 04.19.2022Paired black-browed albatrosses perform elaborate bonding rituals, but climate change may lead to higher divorce rates.
The Tale of the Trojan TroutArticle 02.21.2022Can the introduction of a modified invader save the West’s native fish?
Potty PlantSpotlight 02.21.2022A carnivorous plant in Southeast Asia offers its leftovers to local fauna, and gets fertilized by those animals’ feces in exchange.
City Owl, Country OwlSpotlight 01.21.2022Unlike their more iconic cousins, diminutive northern pygmy owls occasionally manage to raise families in urban forests—some little more than a stone’s throw from the local café.
Snuggle for SurvivalSpotlight 12.26.2021Teamwork helps the world’s largest penguin species thrive under the harshest conditions.
Breakfast with a “Garbage Bin”Spotlight 12.02.2021Socotra’s gregarious Egyptian vultures are a bright spot in an otherwise sobering global story.
Nomads of the NorthPhoto Essay 11.24.2021A writer and photographer shares an intimate portrait of the annual migration and uncertain future of the Western Arctic Caribou Herd.
Single MomSpotlight 11.24.2021In a delicate ritual that might last only a few minutes, this female squid demonstrates remarkable self-sufficiency.
Seeing SpotsSpotlight 11.12.2021Spotted eagle rays’ distinctive markings are turning out to be important identifiers, and may become essential for their protection.
Bringing out the DeadArticle 10.28.2021By sinking a wide array of carcasses into the deep ocean and studying what turns up when they fall, scientists are learning about some of the world’s most exotic scavengers and the roles they play in the darkness.
Eye SpySpotlight 10.28.2021While this highly adapted fish peers out on its prey- and predator-rich surroundings, shapeshifting, pigmented cells enable it to all but disappear into its environment.
Hanging with DadSpotlight 10.22.2021A male African jacana has his feathers full while navigating Botswana’s rich but treacherous wetlands.
A River’s Right to FlowArticle 10.22.2021Indigenous communities and conservationists around the world are challenging the view of water as a human commodity, and fighting to keep this precious resource in the ecosystems it sustains. Can the same approach work in the arid Southwest?
