Coconut husks, made of tough fibers, are abundant in tropical regions. Coconut farmers have most often discarded the husks, but science is finding creative ways to use them.

Pink iguanas were discovered in 1986 in the Galapagos.

A group of German scientists has received clearance from the United Nations to perform a controversial experiment: dumping tons of iron into ocean water.

Bacteriophages are non-living yet specialized viruses that hijack cells to clone more viruses. In this way, they help to maintain balanced bacterial populations. When a new “phage” is assembled within a host cell, it is faced with a difficulty—how to package its DNA, which is 1,000 times longer than the diameter of its capsid, the tiny vessel that holds it.

Certain grasshoppers are generally mild-mannered and solitary creatures.¹ However, when their population becomes dense enough, their bodies physically change and they clump together, sometimes forming the kinds of swarms that have plagued mankind throughout history.