Conifer forests across Europe are under siege from a tiny threat with a gigantic impact. Abnormally high temperatures and summer droughts have helped populations of the Eurasian spruce bark beetles (Ips typographus) soar, eventually killing the trees. Forest management entities ...

A citizen science project in Denmark helped researchers find the world’s oldest (or at least scientifically-confirmed oldest) European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus). At 16 years-old, Thorvald the hedgehog lived seven years longer than the previous record holder. On average, the six ...

Holding hands isn’t just for human sweethearts. Chimps often clutch each other’s palms while grooming in a behavior known as handclasping. Handclasping is common among chimpanzees, and this endearing act is a social custom passed on through generations, as a ...

When it comes to what freaks American adults out, snakes rank right up there with heights, public speaking, and bugs. They can carry lethal venom in their bites and be strong enough to strangle and eat alligators. Still, snakes are ...

What types of food would be served at a Paleolithic Period buffet for Neanderthals? Fruits, plants, and nuts for sure, but the former inhabitants of Gruta de Figueira Brava in Portugal would have also expected lots of seafood, especially brown ...

As early as 23 million years ago, giant mastodons roamed the Earth. These elephant ancestors were typically shorter than their modern day descendants, but were more dense and also bore signature tusks. These gigantic mammals were also hunted by the ...

There’s a phrase that rings loudly in the heads of Popular Science editors any time we bring together a new Brilliant 10 class: “They’ve only just begun.” Our annual list of early-career scientists and engineers is as much a celebration ...

About 246 million years ago, a marine reptile roughly the length of a humpback whale patrolled the seas over present-day Nevada. This ichthyosaur wasn’t just remarkable because of its massive size, according to scientists who recently analyzed a partial skeleton ...

Whether you’ve been chased by a goose or witnessed an ostrich run at top speed, you know birds can sometimes be terrifying. At the top of the list is the cassowary—a demon bird that clocks in between 4 and 5.6 ...

The story of all land animals begins with a squat-limbed, long-bodied swamp fish. Sometime in the steamy mid-Devonian, a family of those fish followed plants and bugs onto land and became the first tetrapods, or four-legged vertebrates. But the fossil ...