This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American Given the changes in our climate and the ...

A new University of California San Diego study published in Cell challenges a long-standing assumption about how animal viruses become capable of sparking human epidemics and pandemics. Using a ...

Contrary to prevailing belief, an evolutionary analysis finds no evidence that most viruses with epidemic or pandemic ...

Minnesota has reported the U.S.'s first ruminant—a group of animals including cattle, sheep, and goats—to test positive for avian influenza. Results are in from a study led by Dr. Juzhi Hou, Dr. Fahu ...

Researchers have developed a solution to a 78-year-old mystery. In previous research, it was suggested that adaptation of an animal to different factors looks like spending of one resource and that ...

In the blink of an eye, a fire can fell a forest. With the push of a button, a city can be razed to the ground. There’s little limit, it seems, to the speed at which an environment can change.

Neurobiologist Kenneth Catania’s passion for scrutinizing odd animal adaptations all started with a creature with a 22-point star on its face. Catania first saw a star-nosed mole (Condylura cristata) ...

As the summer temperatures continue to climb, you may find yourself spending more and more time indoors enjoying the comforts of central air conditioning. But without the benefit of modern technology, ...