Asha de Vos’ journey from deck hand to marine science leader
In a 2025 story, Asha de Vos tells how she became the first Sri Lankan to earn a PhD studying marine mammals, then built a biology program.
Beautiful botflies, luscious leeches, and the wonder of parasites
Sure, botflies are gross, but they also know just how to hitch a ride on a camel sneeze. An entomologist celebrates the wonder of parasites.
Tiny wasps emerge from a caterpillar, and reveal a hidden world
In “Hidden Creatures,” a young entomologist discovers the miraculous world of parasites when cocoons sprout from a caterpillar.
How does a shape-shifting microbe survive extreme heat?
Discover the fire amoeba, an extremophile that’s breaking records and expanding what scientists know about the limits of life.
An artificial cell eats, grows, and reproduces. Is it alive?
Researchers have engineered an artificial cell, hoping to build a customizable chassis for chemical production.
Even Nobel Prize winners deal with imposter syndrome
In a story from 2025, neuroscientist Ardem Patapoutian discusses immigrating to the U.S., finding belonging, and pioneering touch research.
Swords, cannibalism, poison: inside the world of killer microbes
Some microbe species have evolved to stab, bomb, cannibalize, or poison each other. Can we harness their weapons for good?
A vast whale graveyard + Zombie sea cucumbers
A massive “whale graveyard” contains whale remains dating back 5 million years. Plus, some detached parts of sea cucumbers don’t seem to die.
Our evolutionary path to parenting—and sharing the load
“The Creatures’ Guide to Caring” explores how communal child-rearing allowed animals from wasps to humans to evolve and thrive.
A virus hunter in Nigeria has thoughts on the Ebola outbreak
A Nigeria-based molecular biologist breaks down the current Ebola outbreak, and what’s needed to improve disease monitoring across Africa.