The old habit in biodiversity science was to treat species counts as a mostly settled backdrop, then debate decline, recovery, and risk on top of that. That backdrop is starting to look unstable, and ...

Our planet is home to nearly 10 million animal species. Yet, what about the life forms that are invisible to us? How many ...

A new study focused on cryptic species—animals that look the same but are genetically different—found that they’re more widespread among vertebrates than we previously thought.

Expansion microscopy image of Lacrymaria, a ciliated eukaryotic microorganism, collected from environmental samples in Tokyo. Highlighted in green is tubulin, the major protein component of ...

And then there were none. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has announced that several species of animals and plants have now gone extinct. The 2025 list of extinctions ...

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The typical human digestive tract is home to one of the densest communities of microorganisms on the planet. Bacteria dominate researchers’ attention, with the roles of other members of this ecosystem ...

Single-celled eukaryotes are parasitized by viruses just like other life forms, but compared to bacteria or animals, their defense systems against viral infection remain unknown. Virophages could be ...

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So many places on Earth still remain a mystery to us, even after all this time — but researchers are often discovering new species. Better access to genetic testing, as well as technological advances ...

Oddly, origami could be useful for snagging prey. The finding could help inspire new robotics, such as tools for microsurgery that can extend and contract inside small body cavities. Seeing L. olor’s ...

Grace Manthey is the senior visual data journalist and data team coordinator for CBS News and Stations. She is an Emmy-winning journalist and visual storyteller with a passion for telling stories that ...