Biodiversity
Latest about biodiversity
![Behold: the ugly orchid, Gastrodia agnicellus.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/c4Z3WyTj5jPD79LtEN3iY8-320-80.jpg)
World's ugliest orchid looks like a soul-sucking, eyeless worm
By Mindy Weisberger published
Orchids are usually prized for their loveliness, but a newly described species is no beauty.
![These large rats are adorably floofy. They're also coated with poison.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Fam8wbQtnEFUTTWcZTqkm4-320-80.jpg)
Crested rats can kill with their poisonous fur
By Mindy Weisberger published
Rabbit-size rats from Eastern Africa are the only mammals on Earth that gain a poison defense from plants.
![This is Leonardo Da Vinci's "Uomo della Bitta," one of six drawings by the master recently revealed to host complex microbiomes.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/zXiQkeRTCmdzCEt9KDrQ2Z-320-80.jpg)
Hidden world of bacteria and fungi discovered on Leonardo da Vinci's drawings
By Rafi Letzter published
Researchers examining Leonardo Da Vinci's drawings found a microbiome — a hidden biological signature of their travels across centuries.
![Male wrinkle-faced bat (Centurio senex) shows a furry skin fold that can be pulled up to cover the lower half of the face like a mask.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Dhd2dJBEyZKm8EqT7BvptR-320-80.jpg)
World's ugliest bats sing through 'face masks' made of skin to woo the ladies
By Mindy Weisberger published
Scientists recently documented never-before-seen mating behavior in wrinkle-faced bats, in which males pull a furry flap of skin over their faces.
![Red Salamander (Pseudotriton ruber) seen on a rainy night in North Carolina.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wu38JnhGd5YfWnNTucFoVc-320-80.jpg)
Skin-eating fungus from Europe could invade US, decimate salamanders
By Debra Miller published
The Southern Appalachian mountains are a global biodiversity hot spot for salamanders. And now a skin-eating fungus from Europe could decimate them.
![Tasmanian devils are the world's biggest carnivorous marsupial.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/rVRUTuBeJcXNSCPi7UBsE7-320-80.jpg)
After 3,000 years, Tasmanian devils return to mainland Australia
By Mindy Weisberger published
Tasmanian devils have been reintroduced to mainland Australia, where they haven't been seen in the wild for millennia.
![This city is going green.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/pnzbvNgHk7URopdr6hEptF-320-80.jpg)
What would happen to Earth if humans went extinct?
By Emma Bryce published
Lacking human oversight, glitches in oil refineries and nuclear plants could lead to fires, nuclear explosions and fallout.
![A school of scalloped hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini) swims in the Galapagos.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vrQ7gVSNZ3RPHC9q5HJ6Bd-320-80.jpg)
What If There Were No Sharks?
By Mindy Weisberger published
Scary portrayals of great whites in pop culture might lead some people to wonder if the world would be better off with no sharks at all.
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