February 2009

Features

Seeing Corals with the Eye of Reason

A rediscovered painting celebrates Charles Darwin’s view of life.

ants nature.net
Nature.net

Superorganisms

An Internet guide to the social system of superorganisms

Samplings

In or Out?

Two early turtles give conflicting hints about the origin of the turtle shell.

Samplings

DNA Hopscotch

Several mammals, a reptile, and an amphibian share chunks of foreign DNA.

Samplings

Mystery Leaf

ID'ed: the leaves on a golden headdress worn by a Mesopotamian gentlewoman.

dna computer
Samplings

Onboard Computer

Tiny "bio-computers" perform basic logic functions inside a yeast cell.

Samplings

Red-Hot Cones

Infrared radiation guides seed-feeding insects to warm cones on cool conifers.

Samplings

Queen of Her Castle

Fiddler crabs build chimneys around their burrows to keep intruders out.

Samplings

Rocky Road

The mineral kingdom co-evolved with life on Earth.

Samplings

Hog Haven

Why do warthogs shack up and breed communally, when it's no help to the piglets?

Samplings

Let There Be Light

Phytoplankton move into Arctic real estate vacated by sea ice.

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Recent Stories

Caves are among the predators’ favorite spots.

The brain doesn't much care whether an experience is real.

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

Recent Interview

Xiaoming Wang

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