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Did sex stop Earth from being boring? Probably, say scientists
Earth’s earliest animals may have spent millions of years without evolving because they reproduced without sex, according to new research.

Africa is tearing itself in two faster than previously thought say experts - leading to a totally new ocean forming
One of Africa’s most important fossil regions is breaking apart faster than previously thought, scientists have discovered.

It's deep enough to swallow Mount Blanc nearly twice, is as long as Colombia – and could produce a deadly, humongous earthquake any minute
The Puerto Rico Trench is almost as deep as the K2 is high and has one of the world's weirdest gravitational pulls
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The weirdest bird nests on the planet – including a 2-tonne giant and one bound together with spider webs
Discover a host of weird nests built by remarkable birds that steal, sew and regurgitate to look after their chicks

"Swarms can number 800,000 animals, and the stings from just 1,000 can kill a human." 10 deadliest, most feared, swarms on the planet
They move as one, strike without warning and leave chaos in their wake. Discover the world’s deadliest swarms – where sheer numbers turn tiny creatures into unstoppable forces

"Excellent swimmers, they can tread water for up to three days..." Just how do rats get into toilets?
“There's a rat in my kitchen, what am I gonna do?” is a lyric from the 1987 song Rat in Mi Kitchen by British reggae band UB40. That sounds bad enough but what about a rat in your toilet?

"It looks like lots of pink tongues and smells like rotting flesh." 10 weirdest orchids on the planet, including one that looks rather gruesome
We might think we know all about orchids, but these might surprise you - from stinky orchids to ghost orchids, here are ten that are weird and wonderful

“Its fruits explode when ripe, firing toxic seeds in all directions at speeds of up 160mph…”
You’ll want to steer clear of this tree if its moniker ‘dynamite tree’ is anything to go by…

"They act as a temporary living drain, keeping the skin tissue alive..."
We take a look at why leeches are back in fashion...

A mighty hawk has made a home in New York City's Central Park. This is its story
Red-tailed hawks have taken up residence in the heart of Manhattan.

I've caught the baby wombat": 10 unbelievably idiotic and foolish acts committed by tourists that will have your blood boiling
if you’re thinking of going on holiday to see some wildlife, here are 10 cautionary tales of what not to do...

"Its venom is 1,200 times more deadly than cyanide and there's no antidote." 10 deadliest and most dangerous animals on the Great Barrier Reef
A golf-ball sized octopus, a headbutting shark, the animal that killed Steve Irwin... 10 creatures you definitely want to avoid

Jungle vs rainforest: what exactly is the difference?
Think they’re interchangeable? Think again. While they might share some of the same tropical features, the difference between a jungle and a rainforest comes down to one crucial thing – light.

"One day it’s there. The next it’s gone. Then it’s back again." 11 weirdest, bizarrest lakes on the planet – including one that contains a fluid that's not water...
From the deepest to the oldest, the deadliest to the smallest here are the weirdest lakes in the world

Crayfish, crawfish and crawdad: what exactly is the difference?
Crawfish, crawdad and crayfish are often used interchangeably alongside lobster, but are these creatures all the same?

A snake hitched a ride to a remote Pacific island. This is what happened next.
It looks like your average snake, but it has been wreaking havoc on this remote island for decades.

“It attacks with a short movement, sucking up the prey with an expansion of its tubular snout.” Meet 8 weirdest, bizarrest animals in Hawai'i
From a squid that projects moonlight to hide from predators to a snake that reproduces by cloning itself, Hawai'i's wildlife is stranger than you'd expect

“My fingers were trembling.” Divers were removing ghost nets in the Mediterranean, when THIS happened…
Experts were removing harmful ‘ghost gear’ from a shipwreck when the ocean’s most iconic predator cruised into view

The strange, very peculiar lake that forms a mythical dragon's giant eye every spring
A seasonal natural phenomenon known as the 'Dragon Eye' transformers a crater lake near the summit of Mount Hachimantai in northern Japan into a giant eye.

At the bottom of the Indian Ocean a deep sea robot discovered something huge and truly incredible
The 5.3-million-year-old ‘whale graveyard’ extends for more than one thousand kilometres and supports entire ocean communities

Scientists gave an octopus a mirror. Here’s what happened next
Octopuses are some of the most intelligent animals in the world - here’s yet another skill they seem to be able to pick up quite fast.

‘Millions of trees and shrubs have been planted.’ Epic projects are underway to ‘regreen’ Earth’s deserts
Is there a way to regreen the world's deserts?

The half-wild pet cat that can cost £20,000, is better at killing than lions, and is often accused of terrorising neighbourhood pets
Semi-wild savannah cats are increasing in popularity in the UK, but do they make sensible pets? Charlotte Corney investigates

"Its rear end's equipped with 2 tufts of bristles, each shaped like a grappling hook." The butt that's armed with menacing weapons ready to fire
With its unique, Velcro-like bristles that cling to predators, the tiny Porcupine-Velcro Millipede (Polyxenus fasciculatus) is a master of self-defence in the insect world.
