nature

6 things you may not know about jellyfish

By Julia Griffin

Jennie Janssen, assistant curator of the Blue Wonders exhibit at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, offers six little-known facts she wants people to know about jellies.

Cats were so nice, they conquered the world twice

By Nsikan Akpan

Cat domestication happened in two waves during ancient times, according to a new genetic analysis.

Your next happy hour buzz, brought to you by bees

By Nsikan Akpan, Matt Ehrichs

Only two species of yeast --- ale yeast and lager yeast -- have been used for traditional beer brewing over the last 600 years. A lab in North Carolina may have found a third in the strangest place: On bees…

Grab your earplugs. Invasive coqui frogs gain foothold in California

By Kerry L. Shaw, Scientific American

Coqui frogs -- voracious, cacaphonous amphibians -- have already disrupted the ecosystem of Hawaii's Big Island. Now they've got a foothold in the Golden State…

The lionfish zapper hits the open seas

By Nsikan Akpan

Last year, we broke the story of a robot being being developed to fight invasive lionfish. This spring, the prototype landed in the open ocean for the first time. Here’s how they took the idea from paper to practice.

As global groundwater disappears, rice, wheat and other international crops may start to vanish

By Dave Berndtson

When water is used to grow crops, it’s no longer visible to the consumer. This study keeps track of where ‘hidden’ water is embedded and where it ends up.

This Earth Day, remembering America’s vanishing farms

By Elizabeth Flock

In the United States, the small American family farm has been in decline since the 1930s. These poems celebrate and remember those disappearing communities.

When whimsical wildlife photography isn’t what it seems

By Kristin Hugo

This photo looks cute, but it reveals the cloudy intersection of wildlife photography, animal welfare issues and photojournalism integrity.

Ever wondered why your cat’s tongue feels like sandpaper?

By Joshua Cassidy, KQED Science

By looking closely at cat tongues, research at MIT and Georgia Tech reveals clues to cats’ predatory prowess and finds inspiration for new technologies.