race sign

Born to Run

Humans will never win a sprint against your average quadruped. But our species is well-adapted for the marathon.

female dingo

Good Dingo

Our former pets still know how to read us.

lancewood tree

Who, Moa?

An extinct predator might have driven a plant's unique camouflage.

coelacanth

A Fossil Comes to Life

One of the most important zoological discoveries of the present century gives us a glimpse at the closest living relative of our fish-like ancestors.

bonobos exhibit "play face"

Bodies in Sync

Contagious laughter, yawns, and moods offer insight into empathy’s origins.

Expedition Headquarters

Bones in the Brewery

A Paleontologist's Rendezvous with History and Prehistory in St. Louis

gorilla, Australian aborigine, and modern European skulls

Man—500,000 Years From Now

A Scientific Attempt to Forecast What May Occur in the Future Evolution of Man

DNA

A Whiff of DNA

Scientists can tell whether bullfrogs are at hand by examining just a tablespoon of pondwater.

sauropod illustration

Thunder in His Footsteps

The ghost of the most gigantic animal that ever walked the earth is conjured to life when a lone fossil hunter tracks down the first true footprints left by this stupendous creature, and thrills to the romance of a great discovery.

Individuality, Temperament, and Genius in Animals

Research that lets us appreciate human individuality

Antarctica
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Recent Stories

Teeth that stab or crush to match their meal

To walk on walls and ceilings, your feet have to stick, but they have to get unstuck, too.

Ferns and fungi that explosively reproduce

The seemingly unwieldy shape of a fish is anything but a drag.

Recent Interview

Xiaoming Wang

Hear author Xiaoming Wang interviewed by Vittorio Maestro, Editor in Chief of Natural History. (MP3, 17 minutes)