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 Japanese folklore that inspired Pokémon

Characters from the popular video game series appear to reference the yōkai from Japanese folklore, which first became popular during the country's Edo period, when art and literature became mass-produced.

Dinosaur names have shifted from ancient languages to pop culture references

Early dinosaur names used Greek and Latin roots, often just attaching “-saurus” (lizard) to another word describing a notable trait. Over time, this convention has evolved to incorporate the names of where the discovery was made, local languages, and even celebrities.

The world of rare and expensive Pokémon cards

The rising value and popularity of Pokémon trading cards is driven by nostalgia, influencer culture, and the launch of Pokémon Go. Fans of the decades-old Japanese game are now seeking to buy rare cards in mint condition for thousands of dollars, sometimes even millions. Learn more about the frenzy to collect these rare cards, and how influencer Logan Paul helped boost market interest in this article.

See a list of six famous people with animals named in their honor

The bird Polioptila attenboroughi, the spider Spintharus barackobamai, and the water beetle Grouvellinus leonardodicaprioi are just a few of the creatures named after celebrities.

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.

Dawkins believes cultural memes have mutated into internet memes

The world's creations fall into two categories: those that look designed but whose appearance or function came about due to random mutation and natural selection, such as birds, and those whose designs and mutations are knowingly crafted, such as airplanes.

The real James Bond wasn't a spy—he was a birdwatcher

Ian Fleming needed a name for his spy protagonist and found it in a book about birds he was reading written by ornithologist James Bond. As Fleming's book series grew in popularity, the birdwatching Bond began to receive strange phone calls from fans looking for the fictional agent. This interview with writer Jim Wright explores that strange history, shedding light on more than a few Easter eggs in the Bond series.

Cordyceps: the fungi that turn ants into zombies

The hit show (and video game) "Last of Us" was inspired partly by real-life species of fungi that have been known to turn ants into zombies. Spores of the Cordyceps fungi are capable of penetrating the exoskeletons of arthropods, after which they break into enzymes and proliferate within the body. The fungal cells then hack the ant's nervous system and trigger compulsive climbing.

Fantasy and science fiction are distinct genres, though they sometimes overlap

Fantasy stories take place in universes where magic exists; science fiction stories take place in universes that are still grounded in the physics of our world. In science fiction, supernatural powers have scientific explanations. Think of “Spiderman”: Peter Parker gains his powers after being bitten by a radioactive spider.

Is synbio really cool, really scary, or both?

There’s always been a divide between technology, the inanimate stuff that we build, and biology, the living stuff that nature builds. Synthetic biologists are trying to figure out how to close the gap by building living things.

Over 1,500 insect species pollinate plants in the UK

These insects—including bumblebees, moths, butterflies, and beetles—play a crucial role in the reproduction of flowering plants, also known as angiosperms. They do so by transferring pollen from the male reproductive organ—the anther—to the female one—the stigma—which enables the plant to produce fruit.

Medieval bestiaries blended real animals with myth and moral lessons

Medieval bestiaries combined observed animals with fantastical creatures, using vivid imagery to convey symbolism and moral meaning. This lecture explores England’s Worksop Bestiary (c. 1185), showcasing over 100 illustrated beasts from the Morgan Library’s collection.

See these 16 pieces of art evoking phobias of snakes, flying, spiders, and more. 

Nearly all species introduced into a new environment are not invasive

Introduced by zoologist Charles Elton in 1958, the term "invasive species" refers to organisms that are not native to an environment but cause harm after their introduction. Some ecologists argue that terminology such as "native" and "non-native" may only serve to assist in extinction when legislation is limited to protecting "native" organisms.

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.

River dolphins manhandle an unlucky anaconda

The natural world around us is endlessly inspiring, and fascinating, and often very odd too: like when researchers snapped a photo of Bolivian river dolphins swimming around with a Beni anaconda snake in their mouths, for example.

What do psychedelic plants look like?

Far from the drippy aesthetic often associated with psychedelics, the plants powering naturally occurring psychoactive experiences may not stand out as anything special. This database offers a visual guide to psychoactive plants and fungi. Clicking on the title of a particular plant, such as yerba mate, will bring up a secondary screen with various hyperlinked images, such as the plant itself, related botanical drawings, and molecular structures.

Some North American bats can glow in the dark

After examining 60 museum specimens from six different species, scientists found that all of them emitted light after being exposed to ultraviolet radiation. Researchers are perplexed by this natural phenomenon and are currently unable to deduce the reason behind it.

Scientists break down the plausibility of the alien world depicted in 'Avatar'

The film series created by James Cameron raises several interesting questions about whether certain technological advancements are feasible, and if extraterrestrial life could thrive on a moon orbiting a distant gas giant. While Pandora—the moon that the Na'vi people live on—could, in theory, exist, it's unlikely that its residents would be so humanlike.

Every virus is classified into 7 groups based on genetic differences

Viruses infecting humans have been named based on symptoms ("chickenpox") or the location or animal in which they were first discovered ("Bolivian Haemorrhagic Fever" and "Monkeypox"). For clarity among scientists and to reduce stigma, virologists classify the 15,000 known viruses (270 of which infect humans) by their basic genetic material.

Multiple species exhibit convergent evolution by developing crab-like features

Various organisms that appear to be different types of crabs, such as porcelain crabs and coconut crabs, have been shown to belong to distinct decapod lineages whose predecessors resemble shrimp or lobsters. Environmental pressures and other factors have caused these species to develop similar characteristics, which nature has shown are beneficial to survival.

Imagining how genetics works in 'Harry Potter' and how muggle-born Hermione is a witch

Dr. Robert Pyatt, director of Sanford Health’s medical genetics lab, talks through real-world genetics scenarios in the Harry Potter series, from the Weasley's red hair and freckles to why Hermione, a witch, could be born to "muggle"—or nonmagical—parents.

Some Nobel laureates have expressed beliefs in pseudoscience after winning

Examples of the phenomenon, known as Nobelitis or Nobel disease, include promoting psychic research, harmful practices like eugenics, and seeing talking raccoons. Increased external pressures after a win and a greater spotlight may contribute to developing or exposing these beliefs.

Listen to a podcast about the eerie side of national parks

Although the National Park System is a relatively recent invention, the lands it includes have been around since the dawn of time and, as a result, have accumulated some interesting folklore. This podcast walks you through some of the best legends about the parks.

Brain studies suggest some animals do dream (sort of)

Studies on sleeping cats, rats, fish, and finches show that their brains fire as if performing actions from waking life. Spiders and insects also have REM-like sleep. Whether these findings indicate that animals dream depends on one's definition of dreaming.

Explore noteworthy use cases for ChatGPT

From asking the chatbot to sort grocery lists to bird-watchers using it to help identify birds, the official ChatGPT Instagram account spotlights interesting and creative use cases for the tool, especially in the days after a significant update or model has been released.

Bubbles can exist in markets for collectibles, not just industries and technology

This podcast tells how "Magic: The Gathering" faced its own speculative bubble as rare cards surged in resale value—risking a Beanie Baby-style crash. It follows how the game’s creators tried to engineer a system to keep a collectibles market from collapsing.

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

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

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

Browse a detailed visual analysis of over 200,000 similes—comparisons that often use 'like' or 'as'—from popular fiction to see how frequently writers the same idiomatic expressions.

Massive blooms of microscopic plankton called dinoflagellates produce the neon blue light seen in glowing tides.

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

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

The first robot in literature may have been a 'mechanical man' in 1907's 'Ozma of Oz,' a book in L Frank Baum's 'Wizard of Oz' series.

The 1987 Nintendo video game 'Stadium Events' isn't known for being particularly fun, but its scarcity has made it a highly sought-after item that has sold for up to $35K at auction.

Poison ivy was sent to Europe in the 1600s as an exotic, ornamental oddity, where it was purposefully grown in the English royal gardens at Kew, the Faculty of Medicine in Paris, and a few other locations.

Corals are themselves not coral reefs—the term refers to the tiny marine invertebrates that build the rigid reef.

Chaos theory—informally known as the butterfly effect—is the reason why weather forecasts are presented with probabilities rather than certainties.

Memecoins are a type of cryptocurrency—a form of digital currency with a wide variety of uses—created around popular 'memes,' or viral internet jokes.

The use of fungi to detoxify land and water—a process known as mycoremediation—has been used to clean up natural resources affected by the 2025 California wildfires.

'Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone,' a work by American painter Thomas Moran, inspired Congress to establish Yellowstone National Park.

The Ramones' 'Pet Sematary,' the theme song for the Stephen King novel of the same name, was written while the band was admiring the writer's collection of horror memorabilia.

Mid-century modern graphic designers, known for their bright colors and bold lines in advertising, also found success with children's books.

The hormonal disorder PCOS was renamed PMOS in 2026, a move designed to improve care and research by shifting the focus to the hormonal causes of this condition that affects 1 in 8 women.

The name 'Silicon Valley' arose from the founding of Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory in Fairchild Semiconductor in 1956-57, founded near Stanford University in Palo Alto

Long before Major League Baseball began allowing instant replay for balls and strikes, an umpire reluctantly used the technology to determine whether a hit was a home run, a move that inadvertently ushered in a new era for the sport.

'Shogun,' a 1980s TV series, helped popularize sushi in the US by stimulating an American interest in Japanese culture.

Children are now three times more likely to say they want to be a YouTuber when they grow up than an astronaut, with some even attending 'YouTube camps' that teach kids how to create content for the platform.

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