Evolution
How Do Sea Sapphires Become Invisible?
The sea sapphire combines the brilliance of a morpho butterfly, the cuteness of copepod, and the cloaking skills of a Klingon Bird-of-Prey. But just how does it pull it off?
The Artful Amoeba
A Blog About the Weird Wonderfulness of Life on Earth
Evolution
Shimmering, Squishy Comb Jellies Once Had Skeletons
An evolutionary arms race 500 million years ago seems to have unexpectedly caused today's gelatinous comb jellies to armor up -- and they weren't alone.
Evolution
Why Red Algae Never Packed Their Bags for Land
Red algae have shockingly few genes for a multicellular organism - far fewer than a single-celled green alga - and this may explain why they never colonized land.
Evolution
Starfish Show Tracking Tags Who's Boss [Video]
A funny thing happened when two Danish college students injected tracking tags into starfish. The tracking tags kept mysteriously winding up on the bottom of the tank.
The Sciences
Playing in a Deep-Sea Brine Pool Is Fun, as Long as You're an ROV [Video]
The Gulf of Mexico is known for many things, and most are bad: hurricanes, oil spills...the infamous Dead Zone. But there is a wonder of nature that the Gulf should be known for but isn't—lakes located inside the Gulf...
Evolution
Swapping Symbionts Enabled Mediterranean Lichen to Conquer the Arctic
The miraculous recovery of a coral and the gargantuan range of a lichen may both result from the surprising evolutionary advantages their "alternative" lifestyles give them
The Sciences
Root Fungi Can Turn Pine Trees Into Carnivores — or at Least Accomplices
Root fungi may confer dark but useful powers on their plant hosts
Evolution
Dying Trees Can Send Food to Neighbors of Different Species
No tree is an island, and no place is this truer than the forest
The Sciences
A Five-Minute Taste of Deep Sea Exploration
NOAA’s research ship Okeanos Explorer and its ROV Deep Discoverer (aka D2) wrapped up their latest exploration of the seafloor and marine canyons around Puerto Rico last week.
Biology
Tube Worm Larvae Use Prickly Bacterial Flowers to Choose Home
Like a steaming pile of lava or the soggy soil below a melting glacier, the freshly scrubbed hull of a ship is a magnet for new life.
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