Paleodictyon, a hexagonal-patterned fossil, is a bit of a mystery. We don’t even know if it’s a trace fossil, or the organism itself. So… what could it be?

They have survived every catastrophe and every mass extinction event that nature has thrown at them. And by being the little, filter-feeding, water-cleaning creatures that they are, sponges may have saved the world.

Sponges might not look like particularly complex animals, but they've had billions of years to evolve their own special systems. And one of those systems might involve sending messages through their body in the form of light.

For us terrestrial animals, sneezing is a regular part of life involving the movement of a lot of air. But animals that live underwater and don't breathe air like we do also sneeze. Sea sponges, corals, and hagfish use their snot to...

Dolphins are sophisticated creatures similar to us in many ways. But until recently, one of their behaviors had scientists scratching their heads.

Under the sea, untold wonders await in the form of untapped medicinal potential. Chemist Sam Afoullouss dives into the science behind natural remedies, explaining why the ocean's great (and still largely unexplored) biodiversity is ideal...

You might think you need a brain to be able to sleep, but organisms with super simple neural networks can still "sleep" sort of like we do. So, if these organisms can sleep too, then what is sleep anyway?

Learn about some new sea creatures that recently made their debut to the land world!

Species that no longer exist vastly outnumber those that currently populate the planet, but occasionally we rediscover a species we thought was extinct!

Sea creatures abound this week, as scientists make discoveries about scallop eyes and use models to help figure out the age old mystery, "Which came first, comb jellies or the sea sponge?”

A new study reports what might be the oldest fossil animals ever found. And we're also learning more about what role the hippocampus plays in certain types of visual memory.

Researchers mapped the mammoth family tree by extracting DNA from fossils. Also, scientists found some sessile animals living under Antarctica's ice shelf, and they're really cool.

This Valentine’s Day weekend, we'd like to tell you a deep-sea shrimp love story that begins with a sponge, and two shrimp — and ends in forever.

Chimpanzees in Gabon have been observed using bugs as a possible antiseptic, but what's more surprising is that they're applying this remedy to one another in what may be a form of chimpanzee health care.

Besides being the deepest lake on Earth, Lake Baikal supports a bizarre collection of species that are found nowhere else!

There aren't many creatures as safe and chill as the humble sea sponge, right? Well, not so fast! It turns out there's a whole family of carnivorous sponges that trap and eat small animals using spines and migrating stomaches!

Hank discusses the process by which organisms grow and develop, maintaining that, in the end, we're all just tubes.

Hank introduces us to the "simplest" of the animals, complexity-wise: beginning with sponges (whose very inclusion in the list as "animals" has been called into question because they are so simple) and finishing with the most complex...

There is a surprising natural wonder in the middle of the vast West Texas desert: a prehistoric ocean reef built from the remains of ancient sea life. This fossil-rich landscape tells the story of Earth's most devastating mass...

1)True of False? It's safe to use milk up to one week after the sell by date.

2) How long do refrigerated eggs stay fresh after you buy
them?
3) To what temperature should poultry be cooked in order to destroy...

Howcast - Learn how to add texture and how to blend with acrylic paint from painter Linda Rhea in this Howcast video.

Howcast - Learn how to sponge paint using acrylic paint from painter Linda Rhea in this Howcast video.

Howcast - Learn about proper shoulder rest placement from musician Julie Artzt Becker in this Howcast video.

Howcast -Make your next event fun and memorable by setting up a face-painting booth.