Deep in the mountains of the Arabah Valley lies Petra. The vast city is carved into the pinkish sandstone near the Dead Sea and the Israel-Jordan border. In ancient times, Arab tribesmen dug tunnels to protect the area from flash floods. Today, flooding is still a life-threatening concern. Read More

Bees are creating a buzz. Honeybees, bumblebees, blue orchard bees—all are important for pollination. Folks at North Dakota State University want to help bees thrive. They’re paying special attention to the alfalfa leafcutter bee. The little bug has a big mission: multiplying alfalfa seeds. Read More

Six foals sired by a cream-colored stallion called DeSoto scamper across a pasture in southwest Mississippi. They are the first new blood in a century for a line of horses bred by Choctaw Indians. Read More

When a person has a serious injury, surgery, or blood disorder, a blood transfusion can sometimes save the patient’s health or life. The same is true for animals. So just like there are blood banks for people, there are blood banks for animals. Read More

Looking for a great eating place? Ask a local for the scoop. The same kind of insider food info helps animals too. According to a study in the journal Science, researchers say shared knowledge also shapes the spring migrations of moose and bighorn sheep. Read More

Yeasts, molds, and mushrooms don’t get the respect they deserve according to scientists at the renowned Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in England. To correct this injustice, they’re issuing a “State of the World’s Fungi” report—and hoping to generate support for the fungus among us. Read More

Belching is bad for the environment—cow belching, that is. Bovine burps and other types of cow flatulence (the umbrella name for gassiness) produce methane. Lots of it. The situation has animal researchers working overtime to make livestock less windy and more climate-friendly. Read More

Biologists and conservationists manage and protect the world’s biodiversity. Now they have a new tool: eDNA. That’s the DNA left behind by animals in water or soil. Locating eDNA can be easier than finding a live specimen of a creature that’s endangered or thought to be extinct. Read More

Are bananas going the way of the dodo? Scientists say it’s an actual possibility if something isn’t done about an aggressive disease. It’s called the Panama disease, and back in the 1950s, it wiped out the Gros Michel, the most popular banana species sold and eaten in the United States.   Read More

For birds, eavesdropping on neighborhood gossip can mean the difference between life and death. Wild critters listen to each other for clues about lurking predators such as hawks or snakes. Read More