“While all the butterfly species examined had undergone some degree of range expansion or shrinkage, many … experienced both. Eighty percent of the butterfly species the researchers studied expanded their ranges, establishing themselves in areas that had been unsuitable.” @annieroth.bsky.social

Butterflies Take Flight in Face of Climate Change and Extreme Weather

In 32 of the countries included in a recent study, at least a quarter of the native butterfly species had moved to new areas.

nytimes.com

Orcas are ramming sunfish so hard they explode. Check out the stunning video at the link. Nice story by @annieroth.bsky.social for @science.org

High-speed orcas are blowing sunfish to smithereens

Never-before-seen behavior may represent the giant cetaceans playing with their food, ecologists say

science.org

I’m looking for soon to be published animal studies! Hit me up!

Please read this piece in which @annieroth.bsky.social refers to the control group as "straight-edge salmon" 😂🧪 www.nytimes.com/2026/04/20/s...

These Salmon Got High on Cocaine. That Wasn’t the Craziest Part.

nytimes.com

@annieroth.bsky.social Great piece in Harvard Magazine (March-April), on the Bonobos. Fascinating stuff -- but then again, our simian cousins never cease to enlighten and amaze. (And to humble us with their conflict resolution skills and empathy.) Thank you! 🥰

Can you believe these fish have been cloning themselves for over 100,000 years? Great working on @annieroth.bsky.social on this fascinating update about Amazon mollies: www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/arti...

This fish has cloned itself for 100,000 years. Scientists just figured out how.

Amazon mollies don't need a man, and never will. A new study finds they can purge and repair genetic mutations that would otherwise plague a self-cloning species.

nationalgeographic.com

Human women are hot (duh), and Neanderthal men thought so too, according to a new study that I covered for Nat Geo. www.nationalgeographic.com/history/arti...

Were Neanderthal men the Romeos of the prehistoric world?

When ancient humans interbred, new research shows that the pairings were predominantly male Neanderthals and female Homo sapiens.

nationalgeographic.com

Great working with @annieroth.bsky.social on this story about caterpillar hearing: www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/arti...

Why does sound startle these caterpillars even though they don't have ears?

Tobacco hornworm caterpillars have no organs that resemble ears. Yet, scientists were able to figure out how they hear—and it could inspire next generation microphones.

nationalgeographic.com

I'm looking for animal studies to cover again! Hit me up!

Does anyone have an update on the orcas at the abandoned aquarium in France? Are they still there?

Moooving on to less annoying news.. For the first time, scientists have documented a cow using a tool. “(Their) discovery not only shows that cows are smarter than we think they are, but also that other cows could develop similar skills, given the chance.” By Annie Roth via National Geographic

Watch Veronika the brown cow pick up a rake to scratch herself—a scientific first

Veronika the cow has learned to scratch herself with deck brushes and other tools. Scientists took note.

nationalgeographic.com

Scientists have "a new way to help control crown-of-thorns starfish—one that co-opts the animals’ own communication systems to lure them to their deaths. " www.biographic.com/how-to-kill-... Australians “have been fighting against [COTS] for 50 years,” Cummins says. “It’s an exciting time.”

How to Kill a Million Sea Stars - bioGraphic

Synthetic pheromones offer a promising new means of controlling troublesome crown-of-thorns starfish.

biographic.com

The scientific illustration for this paper is sending me. Post your best caption below phys.org/news/2026-01...

Chimpanzees are better at solving resource dilemmas in larger, more tolerant groups

Despite being one of the most cooperative species on the planet, humans routinely fail to manage shared resources sustainably. We overfish from the oceans, burn fossil fuels, and over-prescribe antibi...

phys.org

How to Kill a Million Sea Stars Synthetic pheromones offer a promising new means of controlling troublesome crown-of-thorns starfish. www.biographic.com/how-to-kill-...

How to Kill a Million Sea Stars - bioGraphic

Synthetic pheromones offer a promising new means of controlling troublesome crown-of-thorns starfish.

biographic.com

I'm looking for animal studies to cover again! Hit me up!

For my latest NatGeo story, I traveled to Guam to watch scientists from the California Academy of Sciences dive a whopping 330 feet to sample a reef in the oceans mesophotic zone. What they found was astounding! www.nationalgeographic.com/science/arti...

In the ocean's 'twilight zone,' divers risk their lives in search of mysteries

For deep reef divers, descending into the ocean’s mesophotic layer can feel like exploring the moon. Discovering never-before-seen marine species is part of the mission.

nationalgeographic.com

I know it’s 90’s night, but if I don’t hear t.A.T.u’s 2002 smash hit “All The Things She Said” tonight at the Shark Tank I’m gonna be so sad #SJSharks

No one has ever photographed a will-'o'-the-wisp, and their origins have been shrouded in mystery. Until now! @annieroth.bsky.social has the spooky season tale for @cenmag.bsky.social cen.acs.org/environment/... #halloween #spookyseason #chemsky

Spooky will-o’-the-wisps finally explained

A newly discovered molecular phenomenon is responsible for the spectral balls of light seen in swamps and cemeteries

cen.acs.org

cen.acs.org/environment/... At long last, scientists have figured out what causes will-o’-the-wisps. It’s not ghosts or ghouls, but a newly discovered phenomenon called “microlightning.” Learn more in my latest for @cenmag.bsky.social

Spooky will-o’-the-wisps finally explained

A newly discovered molecular phenomenon is responsible for the spectral balls of light seen in swamps and cemeteries

cen.acs.org

AWS is (reportedly) the company behind Project Blue, the huge data center that's going forward outside Tucson, AZ, despite community opposition. Read all about it in my @theguardian.com feature. #awsoutage www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

‘The city that draws the line’: one Arizona community’s fight against a huge datacenter

Questions grow over water and energy costs of warehouse of computers in Sonoran desert – but will Project Blue be stopped?

theguardian.com

“being an otter is not a crime” Great reportage from @annieroth.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/10/18/s...

Sea Otters Are Stealing Surfboards in California. Again.

nytimes.com

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/18/s... An unknown sea otter was spotted stealing surfboards at Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz this week. Is 841 back to her old ways or have other otters learned to hang 10? Check out my latest for @nytimes.com

Sea Otters Are Stealing Surfboards in California. Again.

nytimes.com

TL;DR: Shout out to microbes, our tiny, invaluable allies! Learn how scientists plan to protect them in my latest for Nat Geo www.nationalgeographic.com/science/arti...

Save the microbes? The world’s smallest species may soon get protections.

Researchers are calling for the conservation of teeny tiny organisms that normally get overlooked, and conservationists are listening.

nationalgeographic.com

Idk who runs the @amnh.org social but they are crushing it.

This moment from our latest episode with science writer @edyong209.bsky.social is 🔥 We asked Ed — how do we talk up the benefits of science in the face of government cuts? He told us that's the wrong approach. 🧪 Listen wherever, or watch on Spotify 👇 open.spotify.com/episode/7Evh...

#DidYouKnow some electric rays can emit over 200 volts to fend off predators like tiger sharks? This effective self-defense strategy highlights the incredible adaptations of marine life. Dive into the topic with @annieroth.bsky.social : www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/arti...

This animal has a built-in taser to stun sharks

Electric rays are staying out of the stomachs of sharks by shocking them—with up to 200 volts.

nationalgeographic.com

Hey biologists and ecologists! I'm a science journalist looking for recently-published and/or soon-to-be-published studies to cover! If you've got one, please send it my way!

In Kenya, the Pokot & Ilchamus communities set aside years of conflict to rescue endangered Rothschild’s giraffes stranded by flooding.🦒 Their collaboration created a safe sanctuary to save these majestic animals. 🧪🌏 Full story w/ @annieroth.bsky.social 

How former foes worked together to help save these rare giraffes

To move giraffes in Kenya from a flooding island to a safe new home, onetime enemies cooperated—and built a modern-day ark.

bit.ly

"Finding large-sized spiders with such bold behavior and such unique features, that doesn’t happen every day," our author @alirezazamani.bsky.social told @annieroth.bsky.social of National Geographic. A great juicy story to complement his ZooKeys paper! www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/arti...

These tarantulas may have evolved huge genitalia to fend off bloodthirsty females

Tarantulas, like all spiders, don’t have penises; they have palps. And these ones are massive.

nationalgeographic.com

A Trump administration plan to build 25 miles of wall along a remote stretch of rolling grasslands and mountains on the Arizona-Mexico border would block one of the largest and most important remaining wildlife corridors on the state’s border with Mexico. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/31/c...

Trump Wants a New Border Wall. It Would Block a Key Wildlife Corridor.

nytimes.com