The Gay Penguins of Australia

SYDNEY, Australia — It was a young penguin colony, and all but one of the couples were pretty bad parents. They would get distracted from their nests, go for a swim or play, and so neglected eggs were getting cold, likely never to hatch. This was normal for inexperienced penguins, and the aquarium managers didn’t…

Trilobites: When Fungi Fight Back

It’s known as fight or flight — the message the brain sends your body when it detects something frightening. Something like it happens to plants when they are under attack, too. And then there are fungi — perhaps the most mysterious kingdom of multicellular life. Fungi too can sense attackers and manufacture powerful weapons to…

Model Mom

When he’s stumped or in a quandary, Humberto Leon often asks himself, “What would Wendy do?” It’s a question he has posed any number of times since founding Opening Ceremony, the outpost of alternative style that he runs with Carol Lim. Wendy, as it happens, is Wendy Leon, Mr. Leon’s mother — a dynamo, who,…