Marsupial babies develop in the not-terribly-sanitary environment of the mother’s pouch. To protect their young from infection, the milk of marsupials such as the Tasmanian devil has powerful antibiotic properties—properties that may help humans.
Category Archives: The Natural World
What Separates Us from Chimpanzees?
The line between humans and animals, biologist Jane Goodall argues, is fuzzy. In this TED Talk, she explores not only how human-like chimpanzees and other animals can be, but also how the human world and the natural world are intertwined—and how we can use our influence for good.
Technology That Imitates Nature
From Velcro to robotics, nature is the inspiration for all sorts of technological advances.
Sonoran Desert Fact Sheets
Learn about the plants and animals that make the Sonoran Desert a surprisingly vibrant habitat.
8 animals helping humans save the planet
From rats to rubber duckies, you might be surprised to learn how animals (both real and man-made) are helping to reduce our impact on the earth.
What Are El Niño and La Niña?
How can the wind blowing thousands of miles away over the Pacific Ocean affect our everyday lives in the United States? Watch this video to find out.
Tardigrades—the microscopic, oddly cute toughest animals on Earth—explained
Tardigrades are tiny creatures that live everywhere on Earth, from the underside of a rock next to your school to the Antarctic ice. They can even survive in space! Learn about the amazing, indestructible “water bear.”
National Parks: Ken Burns on why they were America’s best idea
The National Park Service celebrates its centennial in 2016. An award-winning documentary filmmaker explains why our national parks matter more now than ever.
In Midwest, Bringing Back Native Prairies Yard by Yard
A hundred and fifty years ago, much of the middle of the North American continent was a vast grassland. Bit by bit, some residents of the area today are working to restore what once was.
Biblical bee-keepers picked the best bees
One of the earliest ways humans harnessed the power of nature was through keeping livestock—including bees. Find out how long-ago beekeepers made the most of what nature had to offer.
The True Story of Kudzu, the Vine That Never Truly Ate the South
Fast-growing kudzu vines enveloping manmade structures may be a stereotype of the American South, but the truth is more complex.
Wildlife thriving around Chernobyl nuclear plant despite radiation
Depending on which experts are talking, the exclusion zone around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine and Belarus is either a thriving wildlife sanctuary or a deadly no-man’s land. How well has nature repaired itself after the man-made 1986 disaster?
Losing the Dark
The next time you feel like looking “up in perfect silence at the stars,” you might be out of luck. Light pollution is increasingly obliterating our view of the stars. Watch this short film to find out more.
The Body Politic
We may be in the habit of thinking of bacteria as bad organisms that cause disease, but there’s another side to our relationship with them. In the human body, bacteria outnumber human cells, and as this article explains, we couldn’t survive without them.
The Grand Canyon: How It Formed
Believe it or not, the power of water was strong enough to help carve the 4000-foot-deep and nearly 300-mile-long Grand Canyon. Find out how in this PBS video.
Bats Are: Important
Over 1000 species of bats are found in nearly every part of the world, but how much do you know about them? Learn about the important roles bats play in their ecosystems at this site from a nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving the bat population.
The Animal Self
Like humans, animals have distinct personalities. This article by Charles Siebert details research into patterns of behavior exhibited by individuals in a wide variety of animal species.
Microbes at Work
The tiniest organisms are the most essential to sustaining life on earth. Discover the many ways in which we depend on microbes.
Using nature’s genius in architecture
Humans can learn a lot from nature: In this TED talk, learn how architects are imitating natural processes and structures to create more efficient buildings.
There have been five mass extinctions in Earth’s history. Now we’re facing a sixth.
We all know about the mass extinction that killed the dinosaurs, but scientists now see evidence that we’re in the midst of another mass extinction—this one caused not by an asteroid but at least in part by human activity. This review of Elizabeth Kolbert’s book The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History discusses how humans have altered nature and what we’re doing about it.