Nature
From the tiniest single-celled organisms to the giants that roam the Earth, the animal kingdom is one that fascinates us all. Every day we learn more about the creatures we share the planet with, all 1.5 million-plus of them, and that's just the ones we have discovered so far. Whether we keep them as pets, eat them for food or study them for science, our relationship with animals is complex, but is part of the very nature of what makes us human.
Billions of cicadas will soon emerge across the US. Will their pee be a problem?
These hummingbird-sized bugs can spray urine three times faster than a human.
Godzilla vs. Kong: Here's who'd actually win in a fight, according to science
Vertebrate zoologist Darren Naish uses what we know about primates and reptiles in the real world to declare a real winner.
If my brain was in my stomach, would I 'think from my stomach'?
Is what we think with the same as where we think from?
What is the deadliest creature in the UK?
Man’s best friend? Yeah, right.
Why do dogs like sticking their heads out of car windows?
They're not just feeling the wind in their fur...
Nature’s weirdest: This honking hammerhead bat has the world’s strangest nostrils
Meet the honking bat that looks like a cross between a horse and Yoda.
A dazzling new side of nature: The 20 best photos of British wildlife 2024
Take a look at this amazing set of images from the latest British Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.
How do peanuts grow?
Peanuts have an alias: Ground nuts. And here’s how they got it.
Male mammals aren’t bigger than females after all - new study
New research reveals that, for most mammal species, males and females are evenly sized.
How the battle of the sexes left the duck with an awkwardly long, corkscrew-shaped penis
Both male and female ducks have evolved bizarre genitals.
Apes have a truly terrible sense of humour, study finds
Poking and prodding to provoke a response – behaviour common in human children (and some adults) – were among the behaviours exhibited by the primate pranksters.
Cannibalism, barbed penises and a whole lot of venom: The 8 most brutal animal courtships
Some animals pair for life. Boring. Here are some that mutilate, kill and eat each other when they mate!
If we want to beat plastic pollution, recycling will never be enough
OPINION | Photographs of hermit crabs using discarded bottle caps as shells highlights the extent of the global plastic pollution problem.
Instant Genius Podcast | How animals speak to each other
Fun fact: Dolphins give themselves names.
The (very very weird) reasons cat lick people
Sorry, it's not because they secretly love you.
Billions of cicadas are set to emerge in an ‘insect apocalypse’. Here’s what to expect
Billions, possibly even a trillion cicadas are due to emerge in rarely synchronised double-brood event – here’s what we know, including when and where it will take place.
Instant Genius Podcast | The world's hidden hedgehog crisis
Why their numbers are falling – and how we can help them recover.
Nature's weirdest: 9 seriously strange animal mouths
Dig your teeth into this selection of oddest gobs on the planet.
The longest living animals on Earth 2024
From mole rats to Greenland sharks, here are the creatures with unusually large lifespans.
Tinkering with nature: Billions of engineered mosquitos are getting released into the wild to fight disease
The World Mosquito Project wants to eradicate dengue fever by infecting female mosquitoes with Wolbachia bacteria.
14 very very small Close Up Photographer of the Year winners that deserve a huge applause
Includes teeny ants firing a lot of acid, a jumping stick, and an eel heart.
Why bug-fed farm animals could become humanity’s new protein source
Despite being a nutritious and sustainable food source, insects have yet to find their way onto our plates in a significant way. But these farms in Italy have found another, more palatable, way to use the protein in bugs: by turning it into animal feed.
Why new climate breakthroughs mean you should have (some) hope in 2024
Forget the disheartening headlines, 2023 has seen stories of true hope for the planet's future.
World’s weirdest: Meet the Christmas tree worm, the creature covered in feeding tentacles
Meet the bizarre underwater worm that looks like a Christmas decoration and sees through its gills.