Zoo animals have developed allergies, too

Poison ivy is in the same family as mangoes, cashews, and pistachios—and they all produce oily urushiol in their raw unprocessed state, and chewing mango skin can produce blister rashes

Poison ivy only seems to lead to allergic responses in humans, other primates, and guinea pigs. Other animals can both interact with the plant and eat it without becoming sickened.

Animals get SAD—especially those in zoos, like pandas

Giant pandas in locations outside their evolved latitudinal range (from southeast Asia to northern regions around Beijing) exhibit more sluggish behavior, even when they were born there. Researchers have observed that similar sensitivities to "photoperiods" (or time with light) impacts many animals, including birds, insects, and our pets. (Nautilus imposes a metered paywall.)

Why some people have allergies

Why do some people have allergies while others don’t? One theory suggests allergies are a relic of our evolutionary past. Our immune system, once primed to fight parasites, now mistakes harmless substances for threats.

Poison ivy is in the same family as mangoes, cashews, and pistachios—and they all produce oily urushiol in their raw, unprocessed state—but they are typically prepared in ways to avoid causing human discomfort.

Stress affects different animals in different, but useful, ways

Animals feel stress when they experience actual dangers—such as a zebra chased by a lion. Humans often feel stress from worries, memories, or even thoughts about problems that may occur in the future. For this reason, animals tend to experience stress in short, intense bursts. Conversely, people can feel stressed for long periods, which can eventually be harmful to their health.

Tick bites can fuel an allergy to a sugar molecule in red meat

Alpha-gal syndrome is on the rise globally as ticks spread due to climate shifts. Bites from some ticks can trigger a sensitivity to a sugar molecule called alpha-gal found in mammal meat, which can lead to allergic responses to hamburgers and steak, among other products. Listen to an expert’s tips for avoiding this allergy, including quickly removing any ticks to limit exposure to their saliva or vomit.

You can be allergic to grass—but there are other reasons it can make you itch

A collection of the world's best live animal cams

What are the animals up to? If you're too busy to get to the zoo today, you can take a quick glance at this site, which aggregates dozens of live feeds of animals from around the world. See elephants, bald eagles, and puppies all in one place—but...

Increasing contact between humans and wild animals is driving zoonotic threats

Zoonotic diseases, which spread from animals to humans, present one of the most significant emerging threats worldwide. Scientists have identified around 200 viruses capable of infecting humans, and unfortunately, the number of such diseases are on the rise—at least 60% of all emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic in origin.

Scientists can suck animal DNA from the air

A look at how researchers filtered the air around two zoos and identified genetic material from dozens of species, a technique that could help track and conserve wildlife.

Amish kids have far fewer allergies than the general population

Only about 7% of Amish children in a northern Indiana community have tested positive for common allergens in routine skin prick tests, whereas half of the general US population tests positive for them. Asthma is also extremely uncommon among the Amish, even when compared with other farming communities. Researchers are interested in exploring if approaches like exposing kids across the general population to Amish farm dust might stave off some allergies.

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

Yes, many animals get malaria—not just humans

Birds, rodents, monkeys, lizards, bats, apes, and livestock are among the species that can become infected with malaria. Infected animals' symptoms often resemble those of humans, including fever, lethargy, loss of appetite and difficulty breathing. Birds will also have ruffled feathers and drooped heads.

Watch how coral bleaching resembles an organism's immune system attacking itself

Microorganisms called zooxanthellae are in a symbiotic relationship with coral polyps and provide them with food created through photosynthesis. When ocean temperatures or sunlight exceed an optimal range, zooxanthellae release harmful chemicals that irritate coral cells. To protect themselves, corals sacrifice their food source and expel the colorful microorganisms, becoming white.

Wichita is the worst US city to live in if you suffer from seasonal allergies

More than 100 million people in the United States suffer from allergies each year. But Wichita, Kansas, tops the charts year after year as the worst city in America for those suffering from seasonal allergies. Longer and more intense pollen allergy seasons, however, are increasing the burden of living with seasonal allergies in numerous locations across the country.

The Chernobyl exclusion zone has become a unique wildlife refuge

Within the area—roughly the size of Yosemite National Park—animals such as wolves, bears, and feral dogs descended from the pets left behind have gradually adapted to low-level radiation. Eastern tree frogs in the area have darker skin than usual, which may have helped protect them from ionizing radiation.

Wild chimpanzees have been spotted with leprosy lesions

In research published in 2021, scientists reported discovering cases of leprosy in wild chimpanzees from Guinea-Bissau and the Ivory Coast—marking the first time the disease has been found in any nonhuman species in Africa. They confirmed that leprosy was the cause of the deformities by testing the animals' poop for the presence of the disease-causing bacteria.

See a wild bear observe fellow bears at the zoo

At the Sequoia Park Zoo in California, a wild bear visited the bear enclosure to see three bears in captivity. Zookeepers referred to him as a "polite visitor," adding, "He stayed on the boardwalk path, kept two feet on the ground, and didn't try to climb over the railings!"

Charles Darwin studied goose bumps by scaring zoo animals in London with a stuffed snake

Read the famous naturalist’s work from the late 1800s, detailing how he sought to draw comparisons between how animals and humans respond to fear. As part of that work, he exposed monkeys and a peccary to a stuffed snake and noted the animals’ hair-raising fear response.

The American Veterinary Medical Association advocates for vaccinations for pets to extend their lives

The American Animal Hospital Association provides guidelines, while many states legally require certain vaccines, such as rabies. Vaccinating healthy pets—even indoor-only pets—prevents outbreaks and protects other vulnerable animals, and adverse effects, such as allergic reactions and injection-site irritation, are rare. (Some readers may experience a paywall.)

Watch how viruses like Ebola can spill over from animals to humans—and vice-versa.

Animal phobias are likely the most common type of phobias, followed by an extreme fear of heights.

Kangaroos evolved exceptionally thick knee cartilage to absorb shock

There is significant conflict in the medical field regarding chronic arthritis. Some advocate for keeping the joint as active as possible while others argue progressive overuse leads to worsening arthritis. To settle the score, scientists have looked outside the human population, discovering kangaroos rarely suffer from arthritis in their knees.

Coral reefs get their colors from zooxanthellae—microorganisms that line corals' digestive tracts and provide them with sugars in exchange for a home within this protective tissue.

Noise from data centers may disrupt wildlife and local residents

Individuals living where local ordinances have allowed data centers to be built next to residential areas have reported that the constant humming and vibrations from cooling systems have prevented them from sleeping and exposed them to chronic noise, which the American Public Health Association says can lead to cardiovascular disease and increased stress.

See photos of rare spotless giraffe born at zoo

A spotless giraffe was born at a zoo in Tennessee in the summer of 2023, with experts claiming the specimen is the only solid-colored animal of the species with genes for "reticulation," or the normal patchwork look. The phenomenon is so rare many...

These animals are only found in the Amazon rainforest.

The mighty Amazon River and its surrounding rainforest is home to millions of different species of animals, with new ones being discovered regularly.

Farm animals help maintain the grounds at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport

Since 2013, a herd of goats, sheep, and a donkey have grazed on the scrub vegetation at the airport. In the process, they also help keep out animals that can be dangerous for pilots, like coyotes.

Some Colosseum fighters battled wild animals instead of other humans

Not everyone who entered the Colosseum was a gladiator. Learn about the bestiarii—who ranged from trained animal fighters to condemned prisoners—and how their encounters with wild beasts became one of Rome’s most lethal spectacles.

Scientists testing how climate change affects plants found, in a years-long simulation study, that poison ivy grew 70% faster with the resulting extra carbon dioxide.

Cats evolved from arid land animals, contributing to their aversion to water

Although positive water experiences can make some cats water-loving, they usually self-clean, making baths unnecessary.

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

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.

Ebola species have historically been named after where they were discovered, stigmatizing residents who live there, including Bundibugyo, in Uganda.

Crows are believed to have intelligence on par with a seven-year-old child and demonstrate complex behaviors, from problem-solving with tools to recognizing human faces.

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.

Before humans, the Soviet Union and the United States sent animals—including apes, dogs, and cats—to space during the Space Race.

At the beginning of the 20th century, a group of young men ate standard American food—replete with food additives like borax and formaldehyde—as part of government research to better understand food safety.

The American cockroach is actually from Africa, an apparent hitchhiker aboard ships carrying enslaved people, with evidence suggesting the bug may have arrived in the New World as early as the 1600s.

See how Budweiser's famous Clydesdales spend their days at Warm Springs Ranch, where roughly 70 to 80 of the beer brand's giant horses can be found at any given time.

Fireworks-related ER visits are on the rise—in 2024, they increased by 52% as compared to the prior year.

While El Niño moves warm Pacific Ocean waters east along the equator, La Niña moves them west, shifting where rainfall will become more common for months.

Hotels in Cannes, the glamorous city on the French Riviera, hire hawks to ward off seagulls during the city's famous film festival.

Some renewable energy sources may weaken the resiliency of electric grids by removing outage buffers provided by coal- and natural gas-fired plants, which provide the system with more time to find a new power source if a plant goes down.

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

The word 'jazz' evolved from 'jasm,' 19th-century American slang for 'energy'

When a Paris department store hesitated to sell Estée Lauder's perfume, she 'accidentally' broke a bottle, causing the smell to spread throughout the store and shoppers to start asking to buy the scent.

Search a massive database of over 4 decades of clues from the TV quiz show 'Jeopardy!'

Famed poet TS Eliot rejected the manuscript for George Orwell's political fable 'Animal Farm,' writing that its criticism of authoritarianism was not 'the right point of view.'

The tragic Pulitzer Prize-winning image 'The Vulture and the Little Girl' (1993) generated controversy, raised concerns about ethics in photography, and eventually led to the photographer's death.