Mind-controlling fungus makes zombie cicadas lure other cicadas to a zombie fate By Mindy Weisberger Not only does the fungus Massospora infect cicadas, eat their bodies and turn them into mind-controlled zombies, it forces them to attract more cicada victims.
Ruthless Australian 'assassin flies' named for Thor, Deadpool — and Stan Lee By Brandon Specktor Biologists named 5 newly-described species of Australian "assassin flies" after Thor, Loki and other Marvel heroes.
Adorable, bug-size sunfish babies grow up to be giant 'swimming heads' By Mindy Weisberger Scientists have identified the larvae of one of the world's biggest fishes — the bump-head sunfish (Mola alexandrini) — and the youngster is ridiculously tiny.
Live Science podcast 'Life's Little Mysteries' 43: Mysterious Evolution By Live Science Staff Evolution has shaped all organisms on Earth — living and extinct — producing an astonishing diversity of life and defining relationships between species.
Albatrosses: Facts about the biggest flying birds By Rachel Kaufman Albatrosses are big, majestic birds found soaring above most of the world’s oceans.
Hummingbird-size dinosaur may actually be a lizard By Laura Geggel A teensy "dinosaur" head found in amber might actually belong to an ancient lizard.
Strange, spiral bee combs look like fantastical crystal palaces. Now we know why. By Brandon Specktor The stingless Tetragonula bees build nests in strange, spiral shapes. New research offers a reason why.
Scientists accidentally create 'impossible' hybrid fish By Stephanie Pappas Hungarian scientists accidentally created a hybrid of a Russian sturgeon and an American paddlefish, leading to a long-nosed "sturddlefish" baby.
Lizards with multiple tails are more common than anyone knew By Mindy Weisberger When some lizards lose a tail they grow back more than one, and multi-tailed lizards are more common than once thought.
RIP, smooth handfish. You were weird, and now you’re extinct. By Laura Geggel This extinct fish used its hand-like fins to "walk" on the ocean floor.
Gorgeous images of Australian 'rainbow' bees will blow your mind By Yasemin Saplakoglu One of the top plant pollinators in the country, these colorful bees likely originated in tropical regions of Australia.
'Tiny bug slayer' relative of dinosaurs and pterosaurs would have fit in the palm of your hand By Laura Geggel This tiny pipsqueak may explain why dinosaurs and pterosaurs sported feathers.
This parrot beat 21 Harvard students in a classic memory game By Brandon Specktor An African grey parrot beat 21 Harvard undergrads at a classic memory game, suggesting deep roots of animal intelligence.
Penguins shoot 'poop bombs' more than 4 feet, incredibly important study finds By Mindy Weisberger How much force must a penguin apply in order to blast a flying poop projectile, and how far can it travel? Fortunately for us all, scientists now have answers.
350 elephants drop dead in Botswana, some walking in circles before doing face-plants By Jeanna Bryner More than 350 elephants in Botswana have mysteriously died since May, in a phenomenon that some scientists have dubbed a "conservation disaster," and one that has evaded explanation.
No one knows why decapitated sea lions keep turning up in Vancouver Island By Laura Geggel It's unknown who or what is killing these sea lions on Canada's Pacific coast.
Scientists discover spider wearing 'Joker' makeup, name it after Joaquin Phoenix By Mindy Weisberger A striking red-and-white pattern on a newly-described spider's back resembles the grin worn by iconic Batman villain, the Joker.
'Augie' breaks record as world's oldest golden retriever at age 20 By Yasemin Saplakoglu Golden retrievers typically live between 10 and 12 years.
Amazing photos show 463-pound gorilla being CT scanned By Mindy Weisberger When an adult male gorilla in a South African zoo developed breathing problems, wildlife specialists diagnosed the ailment with CT scans.
Ancient Antarctic sea monster may have laid this football-size egg By Laura Geggel Chilean scientists nicknamed the fossil "The Thing" after a 1982 sci-fi movie based in Antarctica.
