Jesslyn Shields
Jesslyn Shields is a freelance science writer working out of Athens, Georgia. She writes about brand new research for HowStuffWorks. Since 2010, Jesslyn's written science news and content for educational videos, because she loves to always have something new to yammer on about at parties. You can find her online at www.jesslynshields.com
Recent Contributions
When the Articles of Confederation failed, the Constitutional Convention of 1787 became a contest between large states and small states for equal representation.
A zorse is one strange looking horse. That's because it's the product of a zebra stallion and a female horse.
Spiders not only eat more meat than humans every year, they also spend a lot of time getting eaten themselves.
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The method this ancient carnivore employed is unlike anything we see in predators today.
The largest eagle in the world has a claw the size of a grizzly bear's, a leg the size of a human's and a very disapproving gaze.
Geckos have abilities that definitely take lizardhood up a notch.
Sometimes organisms, thought to be long gone from the world, rise from extinction like Lazarus from the dead, though it is a rare occurrence.
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The parrots of the Telegraph Hill neighborhood of San Francisco are legendary, but how did they get there?
Generations of cereal eaters grew up sharing the breakfast table with Toucan Sam, famous for following his long, colorful nose — but what's that bill for besides hawking cereal?
Do non-human animals have equivalent categories to our A, B and O blood designations? Can animals donate blood?
Gastroliths, or "stomach stones," are found in animals from chickens to sea lions. But what are they for?
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There are lots of theories. Maybe fluorescence helps them find each other in the dark?
Wolf spiders might find their way into your house and can look threatening, but they're really harmless.
From ancient times until today, people have been captivated by these iconic, mysterious birds. What is it about owls that makes them the enduring subject of myth and superstition?
Many marine and aquatic mammals can survive without breathing by slowing their heart rates and redirecting blood from their extremities to their brains, hearts and muscles.
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While they may incite fear due to their impressive dimensions, these spiders play crucial roles in their ecosystems and have become subjects of significant scientific interest and study.
Hummingbird feeders are a great way to help those little fliers, but to feed them responsibly, you need to keep your feeders clean and fill them correctly.
The grudge match that was popularized in Rudyard Kipling's short story "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" is a mystifying one, but a few specialized traits allow mongooses to add venomous snakes to their list of entrées.
You can't dis a naked mole rat just for being himself, but, really, what animal could be uglier? Well, the world is full of ugly animals and we've got nine other choices for you.
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Unlike most species on Earth, the male seahorse, rather than the female, does the gestating and delivery. And he does it in his own unique way, a new study found.
In order to understand, and fix, your glitchy home WiFi, it's helpful to know what makes it work. So what's the difference between your modem and your router?
Dark mode makes Googling at bedtime easier on the eyes, among other things. Here's how to enable it on all your devices.
Looking for an easy way to propagate new plants from existing ones? Rooting hormone can help turn one plant into two.
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Sandspurs are one of the most unpleasant weeds out there — if you've tangled with them, you won't soon forget it.
Boyle's Law describes the relationship between pressure and the volume of a container with gas in it. As the volume of the container decreases, the pressure inside the container increases.