nature

Study Finds Earth is Home to Three Trillion Trees

The tally is seven times more than previously calculated.

12 Outrageous Facts About Octopuses

There's a lot more to these magnificent creatures than their tentacles.

13 Photos of California's Devastating Drought

2015 marks California’s fourth consecutive year of drought.

Beach Trash Is Ruining Your Mental Health

Litter ruins the psychological benefits people otherwise get from looking at natural landscapes, psychologists find.

Watch the Rare Bloom of a Corpse Flower

With a scent of decomposing flesh, who wouldn't want to stop and smell this rarely-blooming flower?

5 Curiously Shaped Forests

Can't see the forest for the trees? In these five cases, you really are missing the big picture.

Natural History Museum Dioramas Are Disappearing

The meticulous art of recreating wildlife habitats in a museum setting is one the public isn't 19so keen on anymore.

15 Buzzworthy Facts About Bumblebees

They air-condition their own nests, eat constantly, and choose their children's sex.

8 Fiendish Facts About Tasmanian Devils

Fact: The much-maligned marsupial is super cute.

Chris857, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0

No One Knows Where This Minnesota Waterfall Goes

The Brule River in Minnesota splits just before it enters Lake Superior. One side becomes a 50 foot waterfall, and the other pours into a giant pothole. Where it goes from there is a mystery.

Yellowstone National Park is full of natural wonders.

15 Things You Might Not Know About Yellowstone National Park

Celebrated for its flora, fauna, geological structures, and sprawling landscapes, Yellowstone National Park is undoubtedly one of the country’s greatest centers of natural beauty.

5 Ways Plants Communicate

Plants are chattier than you think.

Meet the Chainsaw Environmentalist

When illegal palm trees are planted in protected Indonesian forest, Rudi Putra grabs a chainsaw.

Australians Are Writing Love Letters to Trees

And the trees reply!

Help Map the World’s Auroras With the Aurorasaurus

Can you see the aurora? Tweet NASA scientists—they're cataloguing global sightings of the beautiful shimmering light.

Jupiterimages/Photos.com via Getty Images Plus

10 Fascinating Facts About Pangolins

The pangolin looks like a cross between an iguana, an anteater, and a roly-poly. What's the deal with this armored, burrowing creature?

After Losing a Limb, Jellyfish Reorganize Their Bodies for Symmetry

Jellyfish don't regrow limbs—they simply work with what they've got.

The Beautiful Science of Murmurating Starlings

The sight of murmurating starlings is pretty awe-inspiring. But the science behind the mass, orchestrated bird dance is even more so.

Explore the Sea With Google Oceans

In honor of World Oceans Day on June 9, Google Maps takes us into the marine depths.

Are Lions Actually Brave?

This Creepy Fish Can Crawl on Land, Live for Days Without Water

The highly invasive climbing perch can live on land without water for days.

7 Infested Facts About Bed Bugs

14 Fascinating Facts About Ocean Sunfish

The Mola mola—which looks like a prehistoric shark that lost a tail in an epic battle—might be the world's weirdest fish. Here are just a few reasons it's the most fascinating marine creature around.