How the pungent odor that occurs after a light rain became a well-studied phenomenon

Across the tree of life, animals use sound and other vibrations to glean valuable sensory information about their environments even before they are born.

An analysis of more than half a million trees reveals that many species begin to taper off seed production once they hit a certain size.

Recent findings buck the traditional idea that embryos are passive agents and instead suggest that by tuning into vibrations, organisms can better prepare to enter the outside world.

Watch and listen to reptiles, amphibians, insects, and birds respond to sound from inside their eggs.

Researchers also tried placing the worms on pigeons as part of a study aiming to uncover how the tiny invertebrates ended up all around the world.

Analysis of data from a new satellite sensor helps researchers detect large patches of bioluminescence in the oceans faster than ever before.

An analysis suggests that a commercially important mass migration of fish may have no real adaptive value.

A modeling study estimates that by drastically reducing fish biomass over the past century, industrial fishing may be affecting ocean chemistry, nutrient fluxes, and carbon cycling as much as climate change.

Five years after largest marine heatwave on record hit northern California coast, many warm-water species have stuck around.

In Chapter 5, "Pick Up the Pieces," author Erica Cirino investigates the potential health risks of the small plastic particles that permeate the planet.

Plastic waste pervades every ecosystem on Earth and is likely affecting neurobiology as well.

Warmer temperatures are likely to increase the prevalence of the mosquito-borne disease in many places, but not all.

Ethologist Jan Langbein and his team trained the cattle as a way to keep solid and liquid cattle waste separate—with the goal of reducing ammonia emissions coming from livestock.

Some Louisiana research centers lost samples and reagents, and with power only just now being restored, there’s a long road ahead to full recovery.

As fires blanket growing swathes of the West, scientists are beginning to understand more about how their smoke affects the transmission and severity of COVID-19 and other illnesses, and how it differs from that of other types of air pollution.

The storm, which made landfall over the weekend as a Category 4 hurricane and has since weakened, forced the evacuation of multiple Louisiana campuses.

The Scientist spoke to marine biologist Tim Lynch, who dusted off 25-year-old data from his PhD to figure out why olive sea snakes approach divers so often. He says the animals, especially the males, likely confuse people for potential mates.

The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says some changes are already irreversible, and warns of even more dire ramifications if global carbon emissions aren’t reduced immediately.