Articles for category: Animal Behavior, Ecology, Paleontology

Giant scorpion.

Pulmonoscorpius: The 3-Foot Scorpion of the Carboniferous Swamps

Trizzy Orozco

Imagine a world where giant insects and bizarre creatures ruled the land—a world steamy, lush, and alien, teeming with life forms that would make our modern forests seem tame. Deep within these ancient swamps, something extraordinary lurked among the dense ferns and towering club mosses: Pulmonoscorpius, a scorpion as long as a child is tall, ...

Cathedral Caverns Of Alabama

Cathedral Caverns Of Alabama

Gargi Chakravorty

You’ve probably walked past countless caves in your life, maybe even taken a few tours. They’re interesting enough, sure. A bit of rock here, some darkness there. You might have even seen a stalactite or two and thought, “That’s neat.” Then you step into Cathedral Caverns in and realize you’ve been completely underselling what nature ...

Close-up of a butterfly perched on a colorful flower in a natural setting.

Butterflies Remember Being Caterpillars (Even After Metamorphosis!)

Trizzy Orozco

Imagine living through a transformation so intense that your entire body dissolves, reforms, and emerges entirely new—yet some part of you still remembers the world before. The world of butterflies is filled with color, beauty, and grace, but beneath those delicate wings lurks an astonishing secret: butterflies can remember experiences from their days as crawling ...

The Insects That Farm, Herd, and Use Tools Just Like Humans

The Insects That Farm, Herd, and Use Tools Just Like Humans

Trizzy Orozco

Imagine walking through a bustling city, teeming with activity, organization, and cooperation. Now, shrink yourself down a thousand times, and you might just find a similar world beneath your feet—one ruled not by humans, but by insects displaying behaviors that seem almost impossibly advanced. These tiny creatures have been quietly mastering farming, herding, and tool ...

Māori garden.

Native Plants, Sacred Places: Māori Ecological Gardening in Aotearoa

Trizzy Orozco

Picture yourself standing in a lush, ancient forest where soft ferns blanket the earth, kōwhai trees glow with golden blossoms, and the air hums with the quiet wisdom of the land. Imagine knowing that every plant around you holds a story, a purpose, and a spiritual connection that has guided communities for centuries. This is ...

Education and Public Engagement

How NASA’s Tech Is Powering Today’s Sustainability Innovations

Trizzy Orozco

What if the same technology that launched us into the stars could help save our planet? Imagine a world where inventions designed for astronauts and space shuttles end up cleaning our air, conserving our water, and transforming how we grow food. This isn’t science fiction—it’s happening right now. NASA’s relentless quest for exploration has given ...

The Future of Beavers in Ecosystem Management

The Animal That Literally Redesigns Landscapes—One Stick at a Time

Trizzy Orozco

Imagine a single creature, no larger than a housecat, with the power to change rivers, sculpt forests, and create entire ecosystems from scratch. This animal isn’t a mythical beast or a character from a fable—it’s the humble, yet extraordinary, beaver. Armed with nothing more than its teeth and an instinct for engineering, the beaver transforms ...