Hurricanes are some of the most destructive natural events in the world, and they're getting worse. 1,111 people have died so far in 2016, making it the deadliest hurricane year since 2005. Given the devastation of Hurricane Matthew, this number will only climb.
Read MoreYour cat is smarter than you think.
A lot of research has gone into dog cognition. Dogs can learn hundreds of items by name, respond to human body language, and imagine what other animals or humans are thinking. Cats are tougher nuts to crack. They often become nervous or shy in lab environments, leading them to be famously uncooperative in behavior and intelligence experiments. Research on cat cognition has been slow in progress, but the information that has come out shows that our furry little companions are far more complicated than many give them credit for.
Read MoreThough our technology grows more and more advanced, it still has a hard time measuring up to evolution. Not even the most skilled robots can respond to dynamic situations with the ease that the simplest of lifeforms can. Miniaturization provides even more complications for robotics. That’s why, if you want a small and adaptive robot, it may be easier to stand on the shoulders of nature. Scientists have been doing just that: Transforming insects into remote-controlled cyborgs.
Read MoreIt’d be hard to miss the Bruce Museum’s resident dinosaurs. They stand overlooking our main entrance and have welcomed visitors for the last fifteen years. Today, I’m going to tell you a little about the history of these majestic beasts, both at the museum and 70 million years ago when they still roamed the floodplains of North America.
Read MoreTiger sharks are one of the most famous- or perhaps infamous- shark species. Aside from their ferocity, what most people know about tiger sharks is that they are "garbage cans of the sea" and will eat anything. While this is a bit of an exaggeration, there is some truth to this nickname!
Read MoreCorpse flower blooms are very rare. Since its discovery in 1889, there have only been 157 documented blooms around the world! That makes this month, with its four simultaneous corpse flower blooms across the United States, a real rarity. Forget Planet X, could these flowers be a sign of the impending apocalypse? Hint: No, probably not.
Read MoreThe days of the most iconic tree in the American Southwest may be numbered.
Joshua trees are found almost exclusively in the Mojave Desert between 1,300 – 5,900 feet in elevation. They can only thrive under certain conditions, and those conditions are being threatened by climate change. Nowhere can this be seen more clearly than in Joshua Tree National Park, a 1234 square mile patch of protected desert in California where their namesake is being threatened.
Read MoreIt turns out that humans aren't the only animals that practice altruism. One of the most altruistic organisms may be one of the most unexpected: The "creepy," often maligned vampire bat. Vampire bats live in colonies that can number in the thousands and within those colonies, they have fascinatingly complex social behaviors. It's a good thing that they do, too. Being a vampire bat is a tough life, and many would die without a little help from their friendly neighborhood "soup kitchens!"
Read MoreStories about animals and artifacts by scientists at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, CT
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