axolotlFor NPR’s Short Wave podcast, Berly McCoy (@travlinscientst) and colleagues bring us the axolotl, a friendly-looking aquatic animal that has held a place of cultural importance for two thousand years in the area now known as Mexico City. These salamanders have several unusual biological features, including a prolonged juvenile state and regeneration. While human-caused pressures are threatening this creature, Mexican researchers and locals are partnering to save it. Image by th1098 via Wikimedia Commons