Susan Milius

Susan Milius

Life Sciences Writer

Life sciences writer Susan Milius has been writing about botany, zoology and ecology for Science News since the last millennium. She worked at diverse publications before breaking into science writing and editing. After stints on the staffs of The Scientist, Science, International Wildlife and United Press International, she joined Science News. Three of Susan's articles have been selected to appear in editions of The Best American Science Writing.

All Stories by Susan Milius

  1. Animals

    Ultrasound alarms by ground squirrels

    Richardson's ground squirrels may occasionally use ultrasound when calling out in response to a disturbance.

  2. Animals

    Why does a buddy help another male flirt?

    The sidekick male in the two-bird courtship display of lance-tailed manakins has to leave when the mating starts but may reap delayed benefits in real estate and performance practice.

  3. Animals

    Farmer ant species may have lost all its males

    A fungus-growing ant may be the first ant species known to have no power of sexual reproduction.

  4. Animals

    Jumping spiders buzz, thump when dancing

    Some jumping spiders, long considered visually oriented animals, turn out to utilize seismic communication for a successful courtship.

  5. Animals

    Hot Bother: Ground squirrels taunt in infrared

    California ground squirrels broadcast an infrared signal when confronting a rattlesnake.

  6. Animals

    Thoroughly Modern Migrants

    Butterflies and moths are causing scientists to devise a broader definition of migration and this has raised some old questions in new ways.

  7. Psst. This fly’s ears can rival a cat’s

    The unusual eardrums of a tiny parasitic fly turn out to rival cats', owls', and people's abilities to pinpoint the origin of a sound.

  8. Animals

    Well-Tuned Bats: These animals are what they hear

    Two studies of bats find that neighbors can live in virtually different worlds because their echolocation calls are tuned to detect different prey.

  9. Animals

    Turtle Trekkers: Atlantic leatherbacks scatter widely

    Satellite monitoring of leatherback turtles in the Atlantic show that these animals range widely instead of sticking to "turtle corridors."

  10. Animals

    Red Sweat: Hippo skin oozes antibiotic sunscreen

    The hippo version of sweat, which is red-orange, contains pigments that can block microbial growth and some ultraviolet light.

  11. Humans

    Travels with the War Goddess

    A botany expedition to Samoa turns out to be as much about the people as about the plants.

  12. Plants

    Wind Highways: Mosses, lichens travel along aerial paths

    Invisible freeways of wind may account for the similarity of plant species on islands that lie thousands of kilometers apart.