Brookfield Zoo is leading a first-of-its-kind study to collect data from dolphins and other aquatic mammals using a Fitbit-like device that figures to revolutionize human understanding of the animals’ behavior.

They are the oldest forms of life on Earth and without them humans would not exist. How microbes shape the planet and its people.

If scuba diving with whale sharks or kayaking past glaciers sounds like you’re kind of thing, Shedd Aquarium has a trip for you this year.

Public and abandoned properties in the Chicago area might appear a little less cluttered. The Illinois EPA collected 598.5 tons of used tires in December as part of a state program to mitigate hazards associated with them.

Confused about when the city makes blue cart pickups? You can now look up recycling and garbage pickup schedules online as Chicago looks to boost its dismal recycling rate. 

A trio of tropical birds has landed in Chicago this winter to show off their vibrantly colored feathers and occasional dance moves – but they won’t be here for long.

Chicago ushered in 2018 with a record-setting high temperature of 1 degree on New Year’s Day. With cold temperatures expected to persist, the city could tie a different record by the end of the week.

The coyote population in the area has about doubled since 2005, according to research by Stanley Gehrt, who’s been studying coyotes for nearly 20 years. 

An owl loving Chicago photographer takes us along as he shoots a majestic snowy owl during the last “invasion” in 2014.

A paternity test to determine the sire of four Japanese macaques born since 2014 at Lincoln Park Zoo came back with a surprising result. 

It might sound like an episode of “The X-Files,” but a story reported Saturday by the New York Times sheds light on an official Pentagon program that researched and investigated unidentified flying objects.

Meet Drake, Magdalena, Pebbles and Wellington. They are the first penguins to turn 30 at Shedd Aquarium, and among the oldest penguins in human care across the U.S.

Bird enthusiasts are enjoying an “invasion” of snowy owls in Chicago and across northeastern Illinois this winter. Check out our map of recent snowy owl sightings.  

From siblings with snowballs to wrestling chimpanzees, playful behavior is usually easy to spot. But the question of why we play – and whether we all play for the same reasons – is less apparent.

For 70 years, hunters have been shooting waterfowl at Wolf Lake on the city’s Far South Side. It is the only state park within city limits, and one of the only places to hunt in Chicago. We go for a visit.

Babies born within 2 miles of a fracking site are more likely to suffer negative health effects, according to a new study co-authored by a professor at the University of Chicago.