The evolution of language converted a defenceless naked ape into a world-dominating force. It fundamentally transformed how humans transmit information and knowledge. A large and potent component of language is our ability to communicate about things that are not here, that happened in the past, or that will happen in the future. This feature of language is known as "displaced reference". […]

When you think of sea slugs, you might envision dark, slimy relatives of the slugs you see in your garden. But one group of sea slugs, the nudibranchs (pronounced "nood-i-branks"), are gaudy, fascinating creatures. They come in a wide array of bright colors and psychedelic patterns. Many have gills that stick up from their backs like clumps of water balloons, shag carpets, or Mohawk hair-dos. […]

Queensland's coastal shark numbers are continuing a 50-year decline, in sharp contradiction of suggestions of 'exploding' shark populations, according to an analysis of Queensland Shark Control Program data. […]

Beep" is not a sound you expect to hear coming from a hummingbird feeder. Yet "beeps" abounded during a study led by the University of California, Davis to monitor hummingbirds around urban feeders and help answer questions about their behavior and health. […]

Children all over the world are learning science by collecting data and running experiments in their classroom. But what if the data they collected during their school day could be used to help scientists? Turns out, it can. Researchers at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and NC State University, running a large-scale camera-trap study called eMammal, recently enlisted the help of K-12 students from 28 schools and four countries—the United States, India, Mexico and Kenya. […]