Feature Channels: Nature

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Fish exposed to fly ash at the site of the Tennessee Valley Authority coal ash spill are faring better than some expected, researchers have learned.

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For two months, artist Clara Dutton often wept as she worked on a three-paneled image of a creature she loves — the elephant. Through her oil-on-canvas painting “The Harvest,” she hopes to call attention to the increase in elephant poaching and the flourishing illegal ivory trade.

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Being outside in nature makes people feel more alive, finds a series of studies published in the June 2010 issue of the Journal of Environmental Psychology. And that sense of increased vitality exists above and beyond the energizing effects of physical activity and social interaction that are often associated with our forays into the natural world, the studies show.

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Using notes taken by Darwin himself, GW researchers uncovered the identity of the species, Leucauge argyrobapta, which will now help taxonomists understand the complicated lineage of orb-weaving spiders.

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The Weddell seal is one of the deepest diving seals on earth and can hold its breath underwater for up to 90 minutes in their native habitat of Antarctica. Scientists have just begun to unravel what physiological characteristics in the seals’ swimming muscles allow them to dive so deep and for so long. But now, new research from Baylor University biologists has found that there is a switching of fuel usage as this animal goes from a non-diving pup to a juvenile diver.

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Artibeus schwartzi's existence has long baffled biologists. Until now.

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New book by veteran filmmaker Chris Palmer is first insider account, calls for changes to questionable practices in wildlife filmmaking.

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A Texas Tech endangered species specialist can describe perils faced by whales, dolphins and endangered sea turtles.

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Research of how Galapagos marine iguanas respond to El Niño could provide insight into how wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico will respond to the current oil spill. In emergencies, animals secrete corticosterone to help them cope. However, prolonged hormone production can also be lethal.

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Scientists have caught male topi antelopes in the act of faking fear in front of females in heat as a way to improve their chances of having sex.

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Minnow with fangs, golden orb spider and carnivorous sponge make the 2010 list.

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Scientists in the Pacific Northwest are bracing for what’s shaping up to be the worse grasshopper outbreak in 30 years. The USDA reports it found a dramatic increase in the number of grasshopper eggs during surveys last fall. When combined with a relatively mild spring, the conditions are perfect for a major grasshopper infestation.

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Even tiny patches of woods in urban areas seem to provide adequate food and protection for some species of migrating birds as they fly between wintering and breeding grounds, new research has found.

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A new insect that will help control the invasive weed waterhyacinth has been released by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and cooperators.

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The face looks familiar but… Just as humans don't always know their neighbors, new research at the University of Michigan shows even the most social of animals don't always recognize individuals they regularly encounter, the first known evidence of "missing social knowledge" in non-human primates.

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A mass extinction of fish 360 million years ago hit the reset button on Earth's life, setting the stage for modern vertebrate biodiversity, a new study reports. The mass extinction scrambled the species pool near the time at which the first vertebrates crawled from water towards land, University of Chicago scientists report.

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Kudzu, “the vine that ate the South,” is not just swallowing landscapes and altering ecosystems in the southeastern U.S., it is also increasing ozone pollution according to a new report published in the May 17, 2010 on line edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

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Female sagebrush lizards with greater courtship experience are more likely to be courted by their male counterparts, according to a recent study.

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Field studies have shown for the first time that several common species of seaweeds in both the Pacific and Caribbean Oceans can kill corals upon contact using chemical means.

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As oil continues to gush into the ocean from the Deepwater Horizon well, Gulf Coast bird watchers are taking action by surveying beaches and marshes for birds. By entering their counts at www.ebird.org, they are helping scientists track hundreds of species that could be affected as the oil spreads toward land.