E. coli bacteria live naturally in the human gut. For almost 25 years, researchers at Michigan State University have been growing the germs in 12 glass flasks. The microbes have been growing, and reproducing — and growing some more. Meanwhile, biologists have been watching, watching, watching. Richard Lenski and his coworkers recently reported a new finding from the long-term project. In one flask, the bacteria the scientists were nurturing did something momentous: They gradually evolved, or changed. In this case, the tiny organisms developed the ability to eat a new food — but only when ...

No one knows for certain why ancient people built Stonehenge, a circular monument of stones in Great Britain. But somebody built it. A new study now concludes that it was most likely erected by prehistoric people who herded animals and moved around the countryside. Until now, most scientists had suspected crop farmers had built Stonehenge.Visit the new Science News for Kids website and read the full story: Building Stonehenge

In the muck beneath the ocean floor, there’s something alive. Lots of somethings. But don’t worry: You'll never see them. Instead, these tiny, one-celled germs are content to hunker down in very old clay, for a very long time, eating just enough to stay alive. “These organisms are so different from anything we know,” says Hans Roy, a biologist from Aarhus University in Denmark. He has been studying microbes that live beneath the Pacific Ocean, near the equator. Recently, he and other scientists published a study in the journal Science that contained a surprising observation: These org...

Eventually, that watched pot will boil. But before it does, the water will seem to get excited. The tiny bubbles that form on the bottom of the pot will float up to the surface and pop. Then more bubbles will form, and more and more — until they look like jets of miniature pearls racing to the water’s surface. Those bubbles form when the pot sizzles enough to turn water into steam — but before the water itself is hot enough to boil. Now scientists have found a way to boil water without those initial tiny bubbles. Visit the new Science News for Kids website and read th...

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, reminding us once again of the deadly threat icebergs can pose to life. Still, the bad reputation icebergs sometimes have isn’t entirely deserved — even if the scientists who study these floating islands of ice are the first to admit just how risky they can be. These same experts have been making many interesting observations about how beneficial icebergs can be for sea life. Visit the new Science News for Kids website and read the full story: Icy inns at Earth’s end

The tiniest, most complicated set of instructions just got a little easier to read, thanks to a giant scientific project called ENCODE, which recruited more than 400 scientists from all over the world. Those instructions reside in a long molecule called DNA. And one copy of this DNA resides within almost every cell, telling it how to operate. Visit the new Science News for Kids website and read the full story: The rest of your DNA

Sleeping and learning go hand in hand, studies have shown for years. Even a brief nap can boost your memory and sharpen your thinking. But the relationship goes deeper than that. In a new study, scientists report that the brain can actually learn something new during sleep. Scientists used to believe that a sleeping brain was taking a break. But it turns out it can be taught a thing or two, scientists reported in a scientific journal published in August. Visit the new Science News for Kids website and read the full story: Learning in your sleep

Part of a finger bone and a couple of teeth are the only remains of an ancient humanlike population known as Denisovans. But these few fossils, found in a cave in Siberia, have a story to tell. Visit the new Science News for Kids website and read the full story: Tiny fossil tells big tale

Climate scientists concerned about global warming keep a close eye on Antarctica. There, some of the ice shelves that extend from the continent into the ocean are melting. This adds freshwater that boosts sea level. Like other scientists, Tore Hattermann of the Norwegian Polar Institute wants to understand how that watery environment is changing. But unlike other scientists, Hattermann is recruiting assistance from blubbery, nonhuman helpers. In a recent study, elephant seals helped the researcher learn about water temperature and currents around Antarctica’s large Fimbul Ice Shelf....

There’s an old saying that oil and water don’t mix. But sometimes they do — especially when a chemical called a surfactant brings the two together. Once blended, oil and water become tough to pull apart. Unless, that is, you have a new type of sieve.Visit the new Science News for Kids website and read the full story: An oil filter for water