Tiger sharks are one of the most famous- or perhaps infamous- shark species. Aside from their ferocity, what most people know about tiger sharks is that they are "garbage cans of the sea" and will eat anything. While this is a bit of an exaggeration, there is some truth to this nickname! 

Corpse flower blooms are very rare. Since its discovery in 1889, there have only been 157 documented blooms around the world! That makes this month, with its four simultaneous corpse flower blooms across the United States, a real rarity. Forget Planet X, could these flowers be a sign of the impending apocalypse? Hint: No, probably not.

The days of the most iconic tree in the American Southwest may be numbered. 

Joshua trees are found almost exclusively in the Mojave Desert between 1,300 – 5,900 feet in elevation. They can only thrive under certain conditions, and those conditions are being threatened by climate change. Nowhere can this be seen more clearly than in Joshua Tree National Park, a 1234 square mile patch of protected desert in California where their namesake is being threatened.

It turns out that humans aren't the only animals that practice altruism. One of the most altruistic organisms may be one of the most unexpected: The "creepy," often maligned vampire bat. Vampire bats live in colonies that can number in the thousands and within those colonies, they have fascinatingly complex social behaviors. It's a good thing that they do, too. Being a vampire bat is a tough life, and many would die without a little help from their friendly neighborhood "soup kitchens!"

Humans are causing a massive shift in the ecology of the Earth. We have caused the extinction of many species, but we are also causing the formation of new ones. Some of these new species benefit us. Some do not. Nevertheless, they cannot be discounted when considering humanity’s global impact.