Discoveries
Join some of our planet’s most promising scientists and explorers as they discover new species, reveal new relationships, and inform new conservation priorities.
High and Dry 08.20.2023 Article - Utah’s immense Great Salt Lake has receded in recent years, revealing the microbial reefs crucial to its ecosystem. 
The Big Picture 2023 06.15.2023 Photo Gallery - From the beautiful to the bizarre and breathtaking, this photographic showcase of life on Earth shines a light on some of our planet's most amazing species and places. 
Sky Bathing 06.09.2023 Spotlight - With their habitat recovering following the eradication of invasive goats, giant tortoises are once again flourishing and bathing in abundance on the slopes of Isabela’s Alcedo Volcano and on other Galápagos islands. 
Of Moths and Marsupials 04.26.2023 Article - The ancient relationship between the mountain pygmy possum and the bogong moth reveals the complexity of global climate change—and the lengths people may have to go to save some species from extinction. 
Rogues of the Rainforest 03.22.2023 Article - Tropical vines are wandering, as they always have, but recent environmental changes are giving them an edge over other rainforest plants—a shift that could have enduring impacts on climates around the globe. 
What Conservation Sounds Like 02.17.2023 Article - New bioacoustic tools are revolutionizing scientific research and enabling much quicker conservation efforts around the globe. 
Trouble at Sea 01.11.2023 Article - For salmon in the North Pacific, has the ocean reached its limit? 
Prince of Darkness 08.24.2022 Spotlight - Helmet jellyfish have taken over a Norwegian fjord, demonstrating the species’ tenacity and offering clues about environmental factors that can upend an ecosystem. 
Returning England’s Forgotten Frog 08.24.2022 Video - As scientists were discovering a surprising detail about an often-overlooked frog, the last local population of the species was winking out of existence. The extraordinary story of England’s pool frog and the effort to bring it back. 
Shot in the Dark 07.14.2022 Spotlight - Africa’s black leopards are shrouded in mystery, but groundbreaking photography is bringing them to light. 
The Big Picture 2022 06.08.2022 Photo Gallery - From 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 Spiral 06.04.2022 Article - The nautilus’s lineage made it through all five of Earth’s previous mass extinctions. But can it survive the Anthropocene? 
Love Train 06.03.2022 Spotlight - The Kangaroo Island echidna may seem bizarre, but the spiky mammal’s quirks have helped it survive cataclysmic change. 
Keeping the Magic Alive 04.19.2022 Spotlight - Paired black-browed albatrosses perform elaborate bonding rituals, but climate change may lead to higher divorce rates. 
Potty Plant 02.21.2022 Spotlight - A carnivorous plant in Southeast Asia offers its leftovers to local fauna, and gets fertilized by those animals’ feces in exchange. 
Single Mom 11.24.2021 Spotlight - In a delicate ritual that might last only a few minutes, this female squid demonstrates remarkable self-sufficiency. 
Seeing Spots 11.12.2021 Spotlight - Spotted eagle rays’ distinctive markings are turning out to be important identifiers, and may become essential for their protection. 
Bringing out the Dead 10.28.2021 Article - By 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 Spy 10.28.2021 Spotlight - While 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. 
Signs of the Times 07.08.2021 Article - Despite their perceived abundance, the periodical cicadas that emerged across the eastern United States this summer point to a growing set of threats facing both the insects themselves and the ecosystems they help support. 
The Big Picture 2021 05.27.2021 Photo Gallery - From 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. 
Antarctica’s Upside Down World 05.12.2021 Article - Clinging to the underside of ice hundreds of meters thick, strange communities of sea life eke out a living in perpetual darkness. Now, researchers are racing to find and study these creatures before they—and their ice sheets—disappear. 
Are You My Mother? 03.29.2021 Spotlight - Before a timber rattlesnake mom leaves her babies to fend for themselves, she passes on an important piece of information: her scent. 
Scales of Reference 03.11.2021 Article - Collected at the tail end of British Columbia's "silver fever," hundred-year-old salmon scales are now helping conservation scientists reconstruct and better manage the populations of one of Canada's most important fish. 
Swamp Sentinels 02.18.2021 Article - Buried in mud for millennia, some of New Zealand's ancient kauri trees are revealing surprising clues about Earth's climate—past, present, and future. 
A New Hope 01.27.2021 Photo Essay - Discovered a mere four years ago, the Skywalker gibbon quickly landed on the list of the world's 25 most endangered primates. While its status remains precarious, the species is inspiring a newfound effort to protect and restore the forests of… 
Convenient Conveyance 12.24.2020 Spotlight - For a jellyfish, there are few hitchhikers more harmful than this juvenile brown paper nautilus, and for the nautilus, few rides could be more handy. 
Northern Lights from the Deep 10.28.2020 Spotlight - What could easily be an atmospheric apparition is in fact a formidable predator, and a critical member of its strange, open-ocean ecosystem 
The Gibbon’s Tail 10.14.2020 Article - For the world’s rarest ape, survival may depend on stories passed down for centuries among the people of its Chinese island home. 
A Novel Demise 09.22.2020 Spotlight - Although we’ve marveled over carnivorous plants for centuries, the plants’ penchant for vertebrate flesh has been largely overlooked. 
The Big Picture 2020 05.05.2020 Photo Gallery - From 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. 
Records of Change 01.17.2020 Video - Thanks to foresight and meticulous records collected nearly a century ago, scientists are reconstructing a picture of some of Mexico's most important ecosystems before they were transformed. 
Race Against the Biological Clock 12.24.2019 Spotlight - It turns out some contests between predators and their prey are more genetically determined than others. 
The Scent of Water 12.10.2019 Spotlight - Most mammals can’t smell underwater, but Eurasian otters may have a way of sniffing out prey even while swimming. 
Unexpected Playmate 08.27.2019 Spotlight - A young humpback whale is spotted off the coast of Sri Lanka. Is it a sign of a promising trend, or just a fluke? 
Enemy of My Enemy 08.14.2019 Spotlight - An Amazonian frog finds refuge under the watchful compound gaze of a surprising guardian. 
Lens of Time: Jaw Jumpers 07.30.2019 Video - Sometimes the best solution to a sticky situation is a quick escape, and few escapes are faster than a trap-jaw ant’s. 
Sucker Deception 07.30.2019 Spotlight - Mesmerizing bioluminescence is a rare trait—and a clever lure—for this deep-sea drifter. 
Ghosts of the Everglades 07.11.2019 Immersive - Clinging to survival in shrinking swamps, ghost orchids are so elusive that their pollinators have remained unknown—until now. One team’s findings may help to save both the flower and its threatened home. 
The Big Picture 2019 04.30.2019 Photo Gallery - From 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. 
Deathly Beautiful 04.18.2019 Spotlight - This picturesque battle between a blue dragon sea slug and a Portuguese man o’ war is a matter of life or death—for both parties. 
Mighty Mom 03.17.2019 Spotlight - One of the most attentive of all insect parents, this tiny treehopper fiercely defends her offspring until they're fully grown, using her thorn-shaped headdress as both shield and intimidation tool. 
Allure of the Flower Hat 02.27.2019 Spotlight - What looks like a flamboyant fashion accessory is actually this jelly's brilliant evolutionary strategy for attracting prey. 
Mobile Home 12.18.2018 Spotlight - This caterpillar combines next-level camouflage and shelter-building to disappear into one of the most vibrant and biodiverse ecosystems on the planet. 
Spider House Rules 11.06.2018 Spotlight - For these hunters, no right-sized target is off-limits—regardless of whether or not it has a backbone. 
The Better to Bite You With 10.23.2018 Spotlight - Finding—and defending—prime fruit-picking perches is no easy task in the rainforest, but toucans have a few tricks up their beaks. 
Sounds of Survival 10.09.2018 Video - A quest to record a quiet frog’s call may mean the difference between its survival and its extinction. 
It’s a Wasp-Eat-Caterpillar World 09.11.2018 Spotlight - Shockingly, being eaten alive by dozens of hungry wasp larvae may have its advantages. 
Lens of Time: The Art of Staying Stable 08.27.2018 Video - A tiny copper cannonball is no match for this hawkmoth's hovering prowess. 
Lens of Time: Growing Against the Odds 06.12.2018 Video - As reefs endure another onslaught, scientists are taking a closer look at how corals live and grow—and what may enable some of them to persist in a changing world. 
The Big Picture 2018 05.01.2018 Photo Gallery - From 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. 
Lens of Time: Huddle Masters 04.24.2018 Video - Emperor penguins just may be the best huddlers on Earth—and scientists are finally revealing the secrets to their success. 
Keeping Pygmy Sloths Afloat 02.20.2018 Photo Essay - They do almost everything else in slow motion, but Panama’s pygmy sloths are surprisingly proficient swimmers—and they find relative safety in the sea. 
The Anomalies: Venom Race 02.06.2018 Video - A group of scorpions is evolving increasingly deadly toxins, and scientists might finally know how and why. 
Lens of Time: A Record-Breaking Tongue Lashing 01.17.2018 Video - The smallest chameleons on Earth perform one of the most explosive movements in the animal kingdom. 
The Pond of Youth 01.09.2018 Spotlight - A simple lifeform, prevalent in freshwater pools the world over, could reveal the secret to ever-lasting life. 
Unexpected Dinner Guests 12.19.2017 Spotlight - Something strange is happening off the northern coast of Norway—transforming natural enemies into unlikely partners. 
The Rainforest Next Door 12.05.2017 Photo Gallery - Just minutes from a major metropolis, Malaysia’s Penang Hill rainforest boasts some of the richest backyard biodiversity on the planet. 
Lens of Time: When Plants Fight Back 11.07.2017 Video - Under cover of subtlety and slow-motion, plants not only perceive the organisms around them, they respond—and in some cases, prepare for battle. 
Hide and Glow Seek 10.24.2017 Spotlight - The secret to this squid’s disguise lies in its relationship with a smaller, brighter species. 
The Anomalies: The Acorn Woodpecker 10.10.2017 Video - These highly social birds defy the typical two-parent family structure, proving that cooperation can make good evolutionary sense. 
Fire on the Reef 10.10.2017 Spotlight - Normally invisible to humans, fluorescent light shows like the one this fireworm puts on are helping medical researchers fight disease. 
Lens of Time: Secrets of Schooling 08.08.2017 Video - Shimmering schools of fish have dazzled scientists for centuries with their synchronized maneuvers. Now, high-speed video is revealing how—and why—they do it. 
Bipes Aren’t Coming for You 07.26.2017 Video - A mysterious worm lizard squirms its way out of the Baja sand and straight into our hearts. 
Golden Eye 07.18.2017 Spotlight - This rufous-eyed brook frog has a sparkle in its eye, thanks to a third eyelid strewn with flecks of gold. 
Invisible Nature: Return of the Wood Frog 06.27.2017 Video - A common frog species takes an unusual approach to winter—one that would kill most other vertebrates. 
Survival of the Smallest 06.13.2017 Spotlight - When El Niño hits the Galápagos Islands, marine iguanas struggle to find enough food—then they undergo a remarkable transformation. 
Dawn Display 05.09.2017 Spotlight - An intrepid photographer climbs high into the rainforest canopy to capture one of the world's most dazzling courtship rituals. 
The Great Divide 04.25.2017 Spotlight - A fateful crossing of the Congo River by ancestral apes led to the rise of the modern bonobo. 
Invisible Nature: Star of the Dunes 04.04.2017 Video - Coastal dunes set the stage for a surprisingly valuable partnership between a fungus and a tree. 
Catching the Rainforest’s Breath 02.28.2017 Video - Armed with a suite of high-tech tools, scientists are measuring the flow of gases into and out of the Amazon rainforest to understand how this iconic ecosystem responds to seasonal and climatic shifts. 
Invisible Nature: The Glowing Squid 02.21.2017 Video - Instead of hiding in the dark, the Hawaiian bobtail squid cruises through moonlit waters—and hides its own shadow. 
Lens of Time: Building a Butterfly Wing 02.15.2017 Video - Scientists open a window—literally—into a process that normally remains hidden deep inside a butterfly’s chrysalis. 
Darwin’s Fox 02.07.2017 Spotlight - His finches may be more famous, but this small fox also helped Darwin develop his revolutionary theory of evolution. 
Savanna Socialites 01.31.2017 Spotlight - In spotted hyena society, it's not the strength of the bite, but a strong network of allies that matters most. 
The Anomalies: The Dewlap 01.03.2017 Video - An apparent inconsistency leads scientists to a new discovery about the role the environment plays in animal communication. 
Lens of Time: Velvet Worms—Secret of the Slime 12.13.2016 Video - Physics and biology meet to create one of the world's strangest weapons: the slime cannon. 
Lens of Time: How Hummingbirds Hover 10.18.2016 Video - Armed with the latest technology, scientists are beginning to unlock the secrets of one of nature’s most acrobatic flyers. 
Agave Whisperers 09.27.2016 Spotlight - As they follow—and mentally map—flowering agaves from Arizona to Mexico, lesser long-nosed bats pollinate the plants that bring the world tequila. 
Digging Down Under 09.20.2016 Spotlight - For this marsupial mole, surfacing to snack on a centipede is a rare respite from tunneling through the dark, sandy underground. 
Lens of Time: Spider Seduction 09.13.2016 Video - For these jumping spiders, stayin' alive requires all the right dance moves—and the perfect soundtrack, too. 
The Emperor’s Throne 08.30.2016 Spotlight - Perched atop the elegant back of a Spanish dancer nudibranch, this tiny shrimp enjoys one of the safest seats in the sea. 
Hiding in Plain Sight 08.23.2016 Spotlight - In one of the world’s harshest environments, and pressured by human encroachment, blending in is the snow leopard’s best option. 
Lens of Time: Bat Ballet 08.02.2016 Video - Hundreds of thousands of bats emerge from a hole in the ground, and scientists with high-speed video cameras are there to make sense of the overwhelming spectacle. 
Invisible Nature: Life in the Clouds 07.05.2016 Video - Scientists are looking skyward to explore one of biology’s last frontiers, and discovering a rich diversity of microbial life high above our heads. 
Red Velvet 06.28.2016 Spotlight - While shedding velvet is a common annual occurrence among bull moose, photographers aren't often on hand to document the graphic details. 
Lens of Time: Corals in Motion 06.18.2016 Video - Corals occupy their own time dimension, but if given enough time, they reveal a surprising array of behaviors that give them an edge deep below the ocean's surface. 
Lens of Time: Slime Lapse 06.07.2016 Video - What these single-celled, gelatinous blobs lack in brain power, they make up for with surprisingly complex decision-making. 
Invisible Nature: Code of the Treehopper 05.31.2016 Video - Hiding in plain sight and deceptively still, treehoppers have evolved an ingenious way to communicate—and they're making a racket. 
The Lobster and its Amazing Noses 05.03.2016 Video - Enter the world of the lobster and witness the invisible signals that guide these creatures through life on the ocean floor. 
