A koala bear isn’t actually a bear, it’s a marsupial. Whales aren’t fish, they’re mammals. Tomatoes aren’t vegetables, they’re fruit. Almost nothing is actually a nut. Peanuts, brazil nuts, cashews, ...

In “Defining ‘species’ is a fuzzy art” (SN: 11/11/17, p. 22), Susan Milius asked scientists to define “species.” Schoolbooks may define the concept as a group of organisms that create fertile ...

Darren Curnoe receives funding from the Australian Research Council. How many kinds of plants and animals are there in the world? Where do humans fit within the vast fabric of life? Indeed, how did ...

Some scientists looking to preserve vulnerable species have turned to a controversial technique: synthetic biology. This ...