Biodiversity

Orchids are usually prized for their loveliness, but a newly described species is no beauty.

Rabbit-size rats from Eastern Africa are the only mammals on Earth that gain a poison defense from plants.

Researchers examining Leonardo Da Vinci's drawings found a microbiome — a hidden biological signature of their travels across centuries.

Scientists recently documented never-before-seen mating behavior in wrinkle-faced bats, in which males pull a furry flap of skin over their faces.

The Southern Appalachian mountains are a global biodiversity hot spot for salamanders. And now a skin-eating fungus from Europe could decimate them.

Tasmanian devils have been reintroduced to mainland Australia, where they haven't been seen in the wild for millennia.

Lacking human oversight, glitches in oil refineries and nuclear plants could lead to fires, nuclear explosions and fallout.

Scary portrayals of great whites in pop culture might lead some people to wonder if the world would be better off with no sharks at all.

Heavy rainfall in December buried plants under a heavy layer of ice.

Iron scales may not be enough to protect the scaly-foot snail from extinction.