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

    World’s smallest snail record broken again

    Snails may not be speedy, but itty-bitty snail shells found in Borneo are breaking a size record at a breakneck pace.

  2. Animals

    Just when you thought snails couldn’t get any smaller…

    Snails may not be speedy, but itty-bitty snail shells found in Borneo are breaking a size record at a breakneck pace.

  3. Life

    How electric eels put more zip in their zap

    With feisty prey, an electric eel curls its tail to intensify shocks and exhaust prey.

  4. Life

    Rare reptile holds clue to penis evolution

    Preserved Victorian specimens reveal budding embryonic penis that disappears before adulthood.

  5. Animals

    How architecture can make ants better workers

    The right nest architecture can make harvester ants better at their job, new research shows.

  6. Animals

    ‘Whalecopter’ drone swoops in for a shot and a shower

    Whale biologists are monitoring the health of whales using drones that snap photos and then swoop in to sample spray.

  7. Animals

    Slow, cold reptiles may breathe like energetic birds

    Finding birdlike air patterns in lungs of crocodilians and in more distantly related lizards raises the possibility that one-way airflow evolved far earlier than birds themselves did.

  8. Animals

    How to drink like a bat

    Some bats stick out their tongues and throbs carry nectar to their mouths.

  9. Animals

    Jumping conchs triumph at overheated athletics

    “Simple” circulatory system outdoes fancier ones in delivering oxygen for jumping conchs in simulated climate change conditions.

  10. Animals

    No eyes, no problem for color-sensing coral larvae

    Switching colors of underwater light can switch preferences for where staghorn corals choose their forever homes.

  11. Animals

    What really changes when a male vole settles down

    Bachelor prairie voles can’t tell one female from another, but saying “I do” means more than just settling down.

  12. Animals

    Lights at night trick wild wallabies into breeding late

    Artificial lighting is driving wild tammar wallabies to breed out of sync with peak season for food