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

    Big monarch caterpillars don’t avoid toxic milkweed goo. They binge on it

    Instead of nipping milkweed to drain the plants’ defensive sap, older monarch caterpillars may seek the toxic sap. Lab larvae guzzled it from a pipette.

  2. Life

    These snails give live birth, and it’s the babies that may do the labor

    Protecting eggs in mom’s body may have given rough periwinkle snails an advantage over egg-laying cousins, letting them spread to far more coastline.

  3. Animals

    Ant face patterns like swirls and stubble might have practical value

    Reviewing thousands of ant photos hints that facial surface patterns might offer benefits, like structural support or abrasion protection.

  4. Life

    Faking death lets some female frogs slip the mating grip of a male

    Suddenly looking dead, grunting like a guy or vigorously rotating can help female frogs survive mating balls in species with aggressively grabby males.

  5. Microbes

    Watch: Recent microbial discoveries are changing our view of life on Earth

    Videos capture the strange movements and predatory styles of protists — among the closest microbial cousins to multicellular life.

  6. Life

    ‘Polyester bees’ brew beer-scented baby food in plastic cribs

    Ptiloglossa bees’ baby food gets its boozy fragrance from fermentation by mysteriously selected microbes.

  7. Life

    Honeybees waggle to communicate. But to do it well, they need dance lessons

    Young honeybees can’t perfect waggling on their own after all. Without older sisters to practice with, youngsters fail to nail distances.

  8. Life

    Orca moms baby their adult sons. That favoritism pays off — eventually

    By sharing fish with their adult sons, orca moms may skimp on nutrition, cutting their chances of more offspring but boosting the odds for grandwhales.

  9. Life

    How plant ‘muscles’ fold up a mimosa leaf fast

    A mimosa plant revs up tiny clumps of specially shaped cells that collapse its leaflets, though why isn’t clear.

  10. Science & Society

    Meet the first Black American to earn an evolutionary biology Ph.D.

    In ‘A Voice in the Wilderness,’ Joseph L. Graves Jr. discusses his scientific journey, how he debates racists, and more.

  11. Life

    Sleeping glass frogs hide by storing most of their blood in their liver

    Glass frogs snoozing among leaves blend in by hiding almost all their red blood cells in their liver until the tiny animals wake up.

  12. Life

    Long genital spines on male wasps can save their lives

    A male wasp’s genital spines can save his life in an encounter with a scary tree frog, a new study shows.