Science & Nature
Black Caiman
The black caiman is the Amazon's apex predator and the largest member of the alligator family, a night hunter that can stretch well past 16 feet.
Sperm Whale
Few creatures hold the mythological clout as the sperm whale, known for diving huge distances and emitting some of the loudest sounds on Earth.
What's the Coldest Place in Space?
The coldest spot in the universe isn't empty space. It's a nebula one degree above absolute zero, colder than the void around it. Here's why.
Bengal Tiger
Learn about Bengal tiger biology, habitat, behavior, and conservation while uncovering the threats facing this iconic South Asian predator.
Saltwater Crocodile
The saltwater crocodile is the largest living reptile and holds the strongest bite force ever measured, ruling estuaries from India to northern Australia.
Why Some Stars Die In Massive Explosions
Learn why some massive stars explode as supernovae while others collapse into black holes and how these blasts help to seed future planets.
Mako Shark
The mako shark is the fastest shark in the ocean, a warm-muscled predator clocked near 45 mph that leaps clear of the water. Both species are now Endangered.
What Animals Live In The Gobi Desert?
Fewer than 50 Gobi bears remain on Earth, all in one desert. Discover the animals of the Gobi and how they survive one of the planet's harshest places.
Which Planet Is The Brightest In Our Sky?
Venus is the brightest planet in our sky, reflecting most of the sunlight that reaches it. Find out when it peaks and why.
Nile Crocodile
The Nile crocodile is Africa's largest crocodilian and the second-largest living reptile, an ambush hunter that takes prey as big as zebra and wildebeest.
Ball Python
Ball Python, the smallest African python, coils into a tight ball when scared and, thanks to thousands of color morphs, became the world's favorite pet snake.
Which Planet Has Days Longer Than Its Years?
Venus takes 243 Earth days to spin once but only 225 to orbit the Sun. Here is why its day outlasts its year, and how Mercury complicates it.
Fer-de-Lance
Fer-de-Lance, the pit viper behind most snakebites in tropical America, thrives near farms and villages and bears some of the largest litters of any snake.
Inland Taipan
Inland Taipan snakes carry the most potent venom on Earth, enough to kill dozens of adults, yet they are shy desert recluses that have never killed a person.
What The Hubble Tension Could Break In Cosmology
The Hubble Tension is a fundamental conflict in physics regarding the rate of expansion of the universe, with wide-ranging implications.
Timber Rattlesnake
Timber Rattlesnake, a thick, docile pit viper of the eastern US, would rather hide than strike and helps curb Lyme disease by hunting tick-carrying rodents.
Pangolin
Pangolins are the only mammals covered in true scales, shy insect-eaters that roll into a ball for defense and are the most trafficked wild mammal on Earth.
What's the Loudest Sound in Space?
Learn why pressure waves from a black hole 250 million light-years away became known as the loudest sound in space, despite there being no confirmed record.
Russell's Viper
Russell's Viper, one of India's Big Four snakes, lurks in farm fields with potent venom, causing more snakebite deaths than almost any snake in Asia.
Which Planet Rains Diamonds?
Could it really rain diamonds? Discover why scientists think Neptune and Uranus may produce diamond rain deep within their interiors.
Indigo Snake
Hunted rattlesnakes, gopher tortoise burrows, and a comeback underway in Florida and Alabama. Inside the life of the Indigo Snake.
Tarsier
Tarsiers, the tiny nocturnal primates of Southeast Asia, have eyes bigger than their brains, swivel their heads like owls, and eat nothing but live prey.
Which Planet Has The Longest Night?
Discover why Uranus and Venus experience extraordinary periods of darkness and what makes their day-night cycles so different from Earth's.
Spitting Cobra
Spitting cobras spray venom several feet into a predator's eyes. Learn where these snakes live, what they eat, and how their aim stays so accurate.
Pygmy Rattlesnake
The pygmy rattlesnake's venom became a life-saving heart drug, and this tiny southeastern pit viper would far rather flee than bite. Meet a misfit rattler.
What Is The Fastest-Moving Planet?
Mercury, the closest planet orbiting the Sun, displays many astonishing qualities, including its dizzying orbital speed.
Beluga Whale
Beluga whales are highly recognizable, thanks to their winning smile. They're also highly intelligent and considered quite friendly.
Massasauga
Massasauga rattlesnake: Michigan's only venomous snake spends its life in wetlands and bogs. Here's its diet, venom, range, and threatened status.
Is There More Than One Universe?
Scientists cannot yet say for sure whether there are multiple universes out there, but string theory and quantum physics suggest there may be.
King Snake
A guide to kingsnakes: taxonomy, range and habitat, diet and hunting, size and markings, behavior, breeding, why they matter, and the threats they face.
What's the Heaviest Star Ever Found?
The heaviest star humanity has ever discovered contains the mass of about 230 Suns in a space only about 35 times its diameter.
Clouded Leopard
Inside the life of the clouded leopard, the secretive Asian cat with the longest canine teeth of any living feline, and a tail built for climbing.
Which Animals Have The Strongest Sense Of Smell?
Among the most interesting abilities developed by some animals is a superb sense of smell. These super sniffers can smell a meal from far away or sense danger.
What Is The Coldest Place In The Solar System?
What is the coldest place in the solar system? Not the farthest world from the Sun, but a permanently shadowed lunar crater. Explore why cold hides in shadow.
The World’s Largest Eagles
Determining which eagles are the biggest in the world requires an examination of mass, length, and wingspan.
What Animals Live In The Nile River?
The Nile crocodiles, known for their aggressive nature, are apex predators in the Nile River.
Which Planet Is The Most Tilted?
Uranus leans at 97.77 degrees, far more than any other planet. See why the seventh world spins on its side and what that does to its seasons.
Why Is Space Black?
Learn why space appears black despite countless stars and how cosmic age and expansion combine with a lack of atmosphere to create darkness.