nature

An overhead view of melting ice in Greenland

Something very strange is happening under Greenland’s ice

A scientist described the phenomenon as “like a pot of boiling pasta”

Photo of the male and female Asian sheephead wrasse

How can animals switch sex?

About one in 50 fish species can change from male to female – or back again

mosquito.

Mosquitoes are becoming thirstier for human blood, study suggests

Habitat loss may be pushing mosquitoes towards human hosts with deadly consequences

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Two woolly mice with long hair in a scientist's hand

The 11 strangest scientific discoveries of 2025

The good, the bad and the frankly bizarre: from the world’s oldest newborn to a body-snatching bug, here were science’s strangest discoveries in 2025

Infrared Thermal Image of Long Tiled Tit. Long Tiled Tit with spread wings on branch.

Can any animals see in infared?

While infrared light is invisible to most animals, there are some, including salmon, bullfrogs and snakes, that can see it

This 'phantom' jellyfish is bigger than a bus – and keeps lurking in shallow waters

New (very rational) fear unlocked – thanks nature

A cave wall covered in white spider webs being examined by a scientist

This newly discovered spiderweb stretches across two countries – and holds 100,000 creatures

Spiders don’t normally create such large colonies, so no need to fear finding one in your basement

Mallard duckling swimming

Forever chemicals are altering the DNA of unhatched ducklings, study finds

Forever chemicals, or PFAS, take a really long time to break down naturally and they’re everywhere

A pod of orcas, including a juvenile, swim in the warm waters of the Solomon Islands

Killer whales have now learnt a genius way to destroy great white sharks, new footage shows

Killer whales have a grisly new technique for hunting juvenile great white sharks – and scientists caught it on camera

Photo of gannets flying above the ocean. A small island is in the background

These mind-bending biological superpowers let birds fly for 11 days without food

Tiny birds can cross continents, but where do they find the energy?

A spider-tailed horned viper sitting on a rock

This deadly snake was filmed using its spider-shaped tail as bait

The spider-tailed snake has a bulbous tip on its tail, fringed by long scales that make it look like a spider

A horseshoe crab underwater

This ancient blue-blooded sea creature has saved countless human lives

But now the race is on to save them from extinction

Illustration of a plant with leaves that look like hands, insects are flying around it and a series of dots are on its pot

Can plants count?

Plants can't count exactly like humans do, but scientists agree that they're capable of some very clever things

Image of a tardigrade on Mars

Is there anything on Earth that could withstand conditions on Mars?

Scientists have conducted a variety of experiments to find out what, if anything, could survive the harsh conditions of Mars

The truth about Borneo's 'vampire squirrel' - and its massive tail

Meet the tufted ground squirrel of Borneo, which has been said to gorge on the hearts and livers of deer and chickens

3D illustration of a person and a moose sharing a drink

Can animals get drunk?

The natural world is one big pub, with alcohol on tap from fermented fruits, sap and nectar. Different animals have different tolerance levels

A male, female and baby gorilla

Female gorillas can overpower males twice their size, study finds

Primate society is less patriarchal than we thought

Giant Amazon River Turtle hatchlings make their way to the river.

This (very cute) footage shows baby turtles being called by their mothers

In the new BBC series Parenthood, narrated by Sir David Attenborough, baby turtles see sunlight for the first time and crawl towards their singing mothers

Squirting cucumbers can fire their seeds up to three car lengths away.

This 'explosive' squirting cucumber can launch seeds at nearly 30mph

Nature's most explosive cucumber fires out its seeds to give them their best shot in life

Yet, it’s easy to dismiss theories of fungal intelligence and consciousness as eccentric, but perhaps instead it’s worth exploring what’s driving the theories. Often it’s a desire to make organisms that seem almost alien to us more relatable. Giving a species human characteristics can, in some cases, persuade us to protect them. In the case of the wood wide web, however, some scientists are now arguing that the theory has gone too far. The idea that trees communicate with each other via fungal networks is being stated as fact, when the truth is that the evidence for it remains thin. Similarly, defining fungi as conscious under current definitions seems premature and could interfere with conservation efforts. On the other hand, if you change the definition, you can say what you like. But why bother? “We don’t need human characteristics to think about how cool fungi are,” says Stokes, whose own research focuses on the poisonous ‘death cap’ mushroom.

Fungi could be conscious. Here's what that means

New research on fungi suggests they could be demonstrating some form of intelligence, but not all experts are convinced.

A mother orca and her calf touching noses

Orcas caught 'tongue kissing' in the wild for the first time

They may be the apex predators of the sea, but orcas are total softies when it comes to those they care about

Photo of a Paradoxical Frog (Pseudis paradoxa) in water, blending with vegetation.

This bizarre shrinking frog is breaking nature's biggest rules

How can a frog get smaller as it grows up?

Humpback whale

Humpback whales keep bumping into things because they're shortsighted, claims study

The whales can't make out fine details until they're up close and personal

A pair of hands holding countless bugs with large brown wings.

Billions of cicadas are emerging across the US. Will their pee be a problem?

These hummingbird-sized bugs can spray urine three times faster than a human