Science Shohei Ohtani's dog 'throws out' 1st pitch at Dodgers game To the delight of the sellout crowd, the star player’s pup Decoy “threw out” the ceremonial first pitch before a game at the Los Angeles stadium against the Baltimore Orioles. Emma Bowman
Environment When birds build nests, they're also building a culture Nest-building isn’t just instinct. Birds can learn from others, letting groups within one species develop their own distinctive nest-building traditions. Nell Greenfieldboyce
Science He won Olympic gold for Pakistan. He got $1 million. And ... a buffalo!?! Arshad Nadeem hurled his javelin over 300 feet — an Olympic record that earned him Pakistan's first individual gold medal. His rewards include cash, a car — and a buffalo. Therein lies a story. Benazir Samad
Science A 13,600-year-old mastodon skull is unearthed in an Iowa creek The University of Iowa’s Office of the State Archaeologist said a 12-day excavation yielded “several mastodon bones,” primarily from the skull. Mastodons are distant cousins of elephants. Joe Hernandez
Science Giant panda Ying Ying gives birth to twins The giant panda Ying Ying in Hong Kong is now the mother of twins. The theme park where she lives said the birth is a “true rarity” — because Ying Ying is the world’s oldest first-time panda mom. Gurjit Kaur Christopher Intagliata
Environment To save wild crocodiles in Australia, scientists gave them food poisoning Freshwater crocodiles die every year in Australia from eating poisonous cane toads that humans introduced to the continent. Now scientists have found a way to teach the crocs to avoid the toxic toads. Ari Daniel
Science Certain bats have no health issues with sugar. Can bats teach us about diabetes? Bats are able to consume an extraordinary amount of sugar without getting sick. Scientists are trying to learn more about how bats do it, and if they have something to teach humans. Ari Daniel
Science Saving freshwater crocodiles — by teaching them to not eat poisonous toads Thousands of freshwater crocodiles die in Australia each year after eating poisonous cane toads. A team of researchers is trying to teach the crocs to avoid the toads, and it appears to be working. Ari Daniel
Science Here’s why snake hunters from across the U.S. are wading into the Florida Everglades The annual Florida Python Challenge invites participants to catch and kill invasive Burmese pythons, which feed on the state's native animal population. Joe Hernandez
Environment Meet the ManhattAnt, the ant that's taken New York's streets by storm The ManhattAnt has become the dominant ant species in the Big Apple, and scientists aren't sure why. Nell Greenfieldboyce