Planarian flatworms are small, aquatic worms with exceptional regenerative capabilities. When cut, the worms can regenerate multiple bodies in a matter of weeks.

Dozens of US research projects focus on the zebrafish's ability to grow new retina cells

The small, striped minnow can repair its optic nerve in just under a week. Scientists are interested in hacking its regenerative capacity to grow new retina cells to treat human eye disorders, including macular degeneration. In 2020, the US National Eye Institute had nearly 80 projects focused on zebrafish.

There are at least 6 fascinating examples of mind-controlling parasites

Parasitic organisms—including flatworms and barnacles, not just fungi—can modify animal behavior. They can give rise to dancing fish, pulsating snails, suicidal rats, and more. Though some of these pathogens can sicken humans, there is no strong evidence that any can control human behavior.

The Turritopsis dohrnii jellyfish can reverse its life cycle

Discovered in the 1980s, this creature has been dubbed the "immortal jellyfish" for its ability to revert from medusa to polyp form and back, preventing it from dying of old age. However, the jellyfish remains prey to fish and turtles and is defenseless to sea slugs as a polyp.

Some organisms are composed of a single cell visible to the naked eye

By incorporating tough, cellulose-rich cell walls, rapid movement of molecules via cytoplasmic streaming, and other biological techniques, some unicellular organisms can bypass the physical limitations that restrict the size of cells. Organisms such as the Stentor coeruleus and Acetabularia can be seen without microscopes.

Coral polyps reproduce via broadcast spawning, where entire reefs simultaneously release reproductive cells for about one hour, once a year.

What a tiny marine worm can tell us about our brains

Meet the amphioxus, a small eel-like animal that has a lot to teach us about brain evolution. The genetic roots of our brains can be seen in these unusual creatures. This three-minute educational video focuses on the evolutionary history of the human brain through these odd little critters with a 500-million-year-old history.

How a worm helped give the southern US its reputation

"The germ of laziness" that blanketed the southern US for centuries with unshakable fatigue, brain fog, and distended bellies paired with emaciated frames was actually a worm. This parasitic worm lives in the gut, where it can stay up to five years, laying up to 10,000 eggs daily. Hundreds of millions of people worldwide continue to suffer from hookworm infections, often obtained by walking barefoot across infected soil.

Tardigrades typically live between 3 and 30 months

While avoiding predators, including other tardigrades, nematodes, snails, mites and some fungi, these organisms feed on decaying plant matter and cellular fluid, which they access by puncturing cell walls with their stylets—spear-like structures within their mouths.

Divers capture a blanket octopus unveiling her billowing membrane

In a short clip captured during a blackwater night dive in the Lembeh Strait, a blanket octopus unfolds and displays a colorful web multiple times its original size. The aquatic animal’s iridescent body and tentacles glow against the nighttime...

The anatomy of coral polyps, whose mouths consume food and expel waste

The mouth is surrounded by tentacles that help clear away debris and defend the organism, using stinging cells called nematocysts that resemble those of jellyfish. Connective tissue called coenosarc connects individual polyps within colonies and allows them to share nutrients.

Organoids: 3D organs grown from stem cells in the lab

An organoid is a three-dimensional construct composed of multiple cell types that originate from stem cells that can simulate the architecture and functionality of native organs. One big benefit of these lab-grown organs is that drug candidates can be tested in model systems without needing live patients.

Limb regeneration research may lead to treatments for arthritis

For scientists pursuing the cure for arthritis, the holy grail of discoveries lies in how to regrow healthy cartilage inside human joints. While this feat has so far resisted our best scientific attempts, there are plenty of other human tissues—such as the liver and fingertips—that will successfully regenerate.

Ringworm is caused by a fungus, not a worm

Ringworm, formally known as tinea and known for its red circular rash, is responsible for about 325 million infections at any given time—comprising roughly half the world’s fungal skin infection burden. It’s caused by a type of fungus called a dermatophyte, which also causes athlete’s foot and jock itch. Doctors typically prescribe antifungal tablets or powders to stamp out these fungal invaders.

A look at how fish less than two inches long climb up 50-foot waterfalls

Shellears use tiny hooks on their front pectoral fins to grip rock like Velcro and take many pauses to recover energy between bursts of movement. Their pectoral girdle—an arch of bone—supports the muscle system needed for the roughly ten-hour climb.

What happens when a whale dies and falls to the ocean floor

A large whale's body can blanket more than 538 square feet of ocean floor. That's an enormous amount of organic matter, providing food for the ecosystem for centuries. Researchers have discovered bones on the seafloor from whale species that have been extinct for over 100,000 years.

Explore different living beings' sizes, from DNA to whales and the Pando clone

The Pando is actually a single organism in Utah, comprising more than 47,000 stems connected by a vast root system. It spans roughly 108 acres. Meanwhile, the average human stands at 5 feet and 7 inches. DNA, the genetic instructions for life, stands at a height of 3.5 nanometers.

Larger animals like giraffes, elephants, and blue whales have developed a unique defense against cancer, a phenomenon known as Peto's Paradox

Snakes move around by coordinating hundreds of muscles

These muscles connect to their vertebrae, and allow the creature to move in various unique ways. Snakes can slither, move in a straight line, swim, jump and even "fly."

Some invasive species can provide benefits to ecosystems over time

In the 1990s, round gobies were introduced into the Great Lakes, rapidly spreading and competing with local sculpin and logperch. However, Lake Erie watersnakes, which were on the endangered species list, shifted their diet to be almost entirely made up of the plentiful round gobies, contributing to their loss of endangered status in 2011.

New blood cells are created by hematopoietic stem cells

Blood is made up of several cells with various functions and short lifespans, so the body must have a constant supply of replacements. These replacements are created by hematopoietic stem cells, rare cells that live in bone marrow and can regenerate themselves and blood cells.

Hookworm infection, though risky, may help fight certain autoimmune conditions by tamping down the immune system's inflammatory response.

Explore how the placenta acts as lungs, kidneys, and more in the womb

This temporary organ, formed from maternal and embryonic tissue, ultimately attaches to a fetus via the umbilical cord. It transports nutrients, oxygen, antibodies, and more from the mother to the developing fetus. It also carries carbon dioxide and waste away from the fetus. The placenta—which forms only during pregnancy—is expelled during childbirth, or it needs to be removed to prevent toxic maternal infections and extreme blood loss.

Flexible integrated circuits can be built from carbon nanotubes and elastic materials

Stanford researchers arranged the nanotubes in fishnet-like networks that allow deformation without loss of function. The stretchable ICs have been shown to power micro-LED displays and may be used in smart clothing.

Large animals like giraffes and elephants have evolved unique cancer defenses

One may expect the larger an animal is, the more likely it is to develop cancer—simply because there are more cells and more chances for a dangerous mutation. However, some large animals show cancer rates almost 10 times lower than humans—a phenomenon known as Peto's Paradox.

The simplicity of immersed tube tunnels

Tunnels have traditionally bored holes through the earth below the water. On the other hand, immersed tube tunnels connect hollow, massive sections in trenches along the floor of the body of water. Each section is built on land, floated to the site, submerged, and connected. This method saves money by reducing expensive underground work, and it preserves an area's aesthetic appearance.

Leprosy doesn't cause fingers or toes to fall off

The nerve damage that results from infection sometimes causes loss of feeling in extremities so injuries like cuts or burns may be missed. In such cases, resulting infections can lead to digit loss. Fingers or toes can also appear to shorten with this disease because nerve damage can sometimes make muscles in fingers and toes so weak that they're reabsorbed by the body.

Mosquito necroprinting uses an insect's mouthpart as the printer nozzle

Mosquitoes are abundant, and their nozzles are 32-100 times cheaper to harvest than to create from scratch out of metal or glass. By coating the organic nozzle to increase its strength, researchers are employing necroprinting to create tiny structures at better resolutions than commercial alternatives.

Programmed cell death drives leaves to fall from trees

All living things have innate mechanisms to prompt organized cell death, typically to protect the integrity of the living organism. Leaves fall from trees to allow the tree to preserve resources and bloom again in the future.

Bone marrow (soft tissue found inside certain bones) generates roughly 500 billion new blood cells each day

When caught in the mouths of cardinal fish, seed shrimp release glowing, bioluminescent chemicals, which alert predators of the cardinal fish, prompting the shrimp's ejection.

The concept of phantom limbs, the perception that amputated limbs are still present, dates back to a French military surgeon in the 16th century.

The syncytiotrophoblast is the outer layer of the placenta and the largest human cell, spanning an area about twice that of a king-sized bedsheet.

Learn how your body is, scientifically, like a firework with its own slow, controlled burn.

See how each of the more than two million known species relates to each other—and to common ancestors—in this zoomable tree of life.

Visualize how CRISPR-Cas9—a type of immune system used by single-celled organisms to attack invasive viruses—targets and makes precise changes to a gene's DNA.

Ebola is a filovirus, meaning it resembles a thread under a microscope, though it sometimes twists and can resemble a bowl of spaghetti.

Some Pokémon have been named after real and fictional organisms, while some real-world species have been named after Pokémon, such as Chilicola charizard and Binburrum zapdos.

The animatronic shark from Steven Spielberg's 'Jaws,' the first modern blockbuster, was a complex underwater apparatus called 'Bruce.'

SpongeBob exemplifies Aristotle's philosophy for living well because he understands that happiness doesn't come from external factors like money, recognition, or power.

Objects can be 3D printed with light by projecting 2D computerized tomography (CT) scans onto rotating cylinders of resin, which solidify upon exposure.

Sunflowers have long been a symbol of nuclear disarmament because they can extract large amounts of radioactive cesium from soil.

After NASA's Voyager 1 captured Earth as a single pixel as it left the solar system in 1990, astronomer Carl Sagan used the image to reflect on humanity's fragility and the responsibility to protect 'the only world we've ever known.'

Waves off the coast of Nazaré, Portugal, can reach over 100 feet and are caused by the area's deep underwater canyon geography

Explore the archaeological treasures of Pompeii, the city buried under volcanic ash when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 CE.

In 2025, four executives from large tech companies were given positions in the US Army Reserves—including Palantir Chief Technology Officer Shyam Sankar, which reinforced Palantir's ties with the US military and its role as a leading defense partner.

How Amazon operates a 'flywheel' business model, a self-reinforcing cycle that drives continuous growth

Clever Hans was a 1900s horse that was believed to be able to solve math equations, tell time, and read and comprehend German, until a psychology student discovered how he got his answers.

NBA superstar Victor Wembanyama spent the 2025 summer training with monks in central China to enhance his body and mind.

Budweiser stores yeast derived from the original 1800s strain in a secret bunker, which only the Head of Yeast Management can access—not even the CEO

Pure water does not conduct electricity because this flow of energy requires the movement of charged particles, and water is a neutral molecule.