Wait, What Exactly is Fire?

Everyone's got an opinion on the best way to build one (the secret is good airflow, by the way), but what exactly is fire?

Close-up of penguin feet

Do Penguins Have Knees?

There's something about penguins, isn't there? They evoke our curiosity, our affection—nay, our adoration—at levels that other members of the animal kingdom would be hard-pressed to compete with. Perhaps it's their wobbly gait. Maybe it's the stark contrast they have with the often otherworldly habitats in which we often mentally associate them. Perchance they're just … Continue reading Do Penguins Have Knees?

Gay Black Swan Đads Make the Best Parents

June is Pride Month, a time for celebrating love, the LGBTQ+ community, and its beautiful spectrum of identities, cultures, and experiences. What you may not know is this diversity in orientations, relationships, and expressions isn't an exclusively human experience. Over 1,500 animal species engage in same-sex coupling and parenting. Even more regularly engage in homosexual … Continue reading Gay Black Swan Đads Make the Best Parents

Where the Earth Opened Up

Where the Water Reflects the Sky | Part One The depth of our history— humanity’s, life’s, earths, and that of the universe itself— is unfathomable. Yet that is where our series begins—deep time. Before you and I. Before everyone you’ve ever known, loved, or learned about. Before the pyramids, before the mammoths, before the extinction … Continue reading Where the Earth Opened Up

Wide-Eyed | Why Goats & Cuttlefish Have Weird Shaped Pupils

Who doesn’t love goats? Especially baby ones. Their gait, their bleat, their tiny horns. But there comes a time in any goat interaction I’ve had where we lock eyes and I’m struck with a mixture of curiosity and unease. 

What Animal has the Highest Blood Pressure?

Typically when we think of high blood pressure, we think of the negatives like high stress and a variety of high-risk health conditions. Yet for some in the animal kingdom, high blood pressure is a mere fact of life. So, what animal has the highest blood pressure?