Treehopper

Jumping Hoppers in Slow Motion!

July 8, 2020

From Dr. Adrian Smith in the Ant Lab: “Leafhoppers, treehoppers, planthoppers, and froghoppers are all insects in the order Hemiptera that are some of the fastest jumping animals on earth! They are also super-common, so I collected a bunch and filmed their jumps in slow-motion!” References and more information on YouTube  


Kongonaphon kely illustration. Credit: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)

A tiny ancient relative of dinosaurs and pterosaurs discovered

July 6, 2020

New study suggests a miniaturized origin for some of the largest animals ever to live on Earth Kongonaphon kely illustration. Credit: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Click for larger image. Dinosaurs and flying pterosaurs may be known for their remarkable size, but a newly described species from Madagascar that lived around 237… Read More >


An eagle named Freedom will be part of a study of the "anthropause" on wildlife. Roland Kays, a research professor at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences and NC State, joined an international group of researchers in issuing a call to action for scientists who track wildlife. Photo: Rob Nelson of Untamed Science.

NC State Researcher Joins Global Effort to Study Impact of ‘Anthropause’ on Wildlife

July 1, 2020

An eagle named Freedom will be part of a study of the “anthropause” on wildlife. Roland Kays, a research professor at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences and NC State, joined an international group of researchers in issuing a call to action for scientists who track wildlife. Photo: Rob Nelson/Untamed Science. Stories have popped up… Read More >


venus fly trap plant

Nature Now! The Most Wonderful Plant in the World

June 30, 2020

“This plant, commonly called Venus’ fly-trap, from the rapidity and force of its movements, is one of the most wonderful in the world” and “is one of the most beautifully adapted plants in the vegetable kingdom.” ~Charles Darwin I’ve never been a huge fan of pines. When I lived in Durham, my house was surrounded… Read More >


A small snail.

Nature Now! Mystery Trails

June 25, 2020

As I walked down the stairs of my front porch, I noticed some strange squiggly lines on the handrail. The more I looked around, the more I saw the same kind of markings on other objects in my yard, even on the backboard of the basketball hoop! I wasn’t the only one who had noticed… Read More >