We've got some good news for axolotls. Those are adorable little amphibians with feathery gills and cartoonish smiles. The salamanders were once found in lakes and wetlands throughout central Mexico.

Whether we're talking about animals or humans, gut microbes are essential for health, metabolism and protecting against infection. While captivity is known to alter the gut microbiota of wildlife, the ...

The axolotl — an often smiley-faced salamander known for its ability to regenerate limbs and organs — is showing new powers of adaptability, as individuals bred in captivity are surviving releases ...

Scientists now believe that all mammals and birds — even the octopus — are conscious beings, capable of thinking, feeling emotion and suffering. That's creating a sea change in attitudes toward the ...

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with scientist Alejandra Ramos, who just led a study about axolotls born in captivity who were released into the wild and survived. We've got some good news for axolotls. Those ...

Ari Shapiro has been one of the hosts of All Things Considered, NPR's flagship afternoon newsmagazine, since 2015. He has been a question on Jeopardy and an answer in the New York Times crossword ...