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a flare from a magnetar, illustrated

Space

The first magnetar flare detected from another galaxy was tracked to its home

An outburst from the super magnetic remains of a star suggests similar eruptions are behind some of the most powerful explosions in the universe.

By Lisa Grossman20 hours ago

sand goanna monitor lizard

Life

Monitor lizards’ huge burrow systems can shelter hundreds of small animals

By Jake Buehler23 hours ago

illustration of quasar J0313-1806

Space

The most ancient supermassive black hole is bafflingly big

By Maria TemmingJanuary 18, 2021

Health & Medicine

The more contagious coronavirus variant may soon be the U.S.’s dominant strain

By Erin Garcia de JesusJanuary 15, 2021

Space

The Parker Solar Probe will have company on its next pass by the sun

By Lisa GrossmanJanuary 15, 2021

Health & Medicine

Could delaying a second vaccine dose lead to more dangerous coronavirus strains?

By Erin Garcia de JesusJanuary 14, 2021

Sponsored Content

Conversations with Maya: Monika Schleier-Smith

From Society for Science13 hours ago

Space
The most ancient supermassive black hole is bafflingly big

By Maria TemmingJanuary 18, 2021
Life
Monitor lizards’ huge burrow systems can shelter hundreds of small animals

By Jake Buehler23 hours ago
Space
The first magnetar flare detected from another galaxy was tracked to its home

By Lisa Grossman20 hours ago
Animals
This rare bird is male on one side and female on the other

By Aayushi PratapOctober 6, 2020
Earth
Earth’s oceans are storing record-breaking amounts of heat

By Maria TemmingJanuary 13, 2021
Physics
The first room-temperature superconductor has finally been found

By Emily ConoverOctober 14, 2020
Health & Medicine
How does the newly authorized Moderna COVID-19 vaccine compare to Pfizer’s?

By Erin Garcia de JesusDecember 18, 2020
Health & Medicine
The more contagious coronavirus variant may soon be the U.S.’s dominant strain

By Erin Garcia de JesusJanuary 15, 2021

The Coronavirus Pandemic

man getting a COVID-19 vaccine

Severe allergic reactions to COVID-19 vaccines are extremely rare, CDC says

Out of the first 1.9 million doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine given in the United States, there were 21 reported cases of anaphylaxis, a CDC study finds.

By Aimee CunninghamJanuary 6, 2021
The new U.K. coronavirus variant is concerning. But don’t freak out
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From the Archives

Consequences of a Sea-Level Canal

January 16, 1971 Vol. 99 No. #3

Science News Magazine

cover of January 16, 2021 issue

January 16, 2021 Vol. 199 No. 1

Featured Media

crested rats

Rats with poisonous hairdos live surprisingly sociable private lives

Deadly, swaggering rodents purr and snuggle when they’re with mates and young.

illustration of spacecraft on Europa

How future spacecraft might handle tricky landings on Venus or Europa

close up of lasers pointed at a target

Giant lasers help re-create supernovas’ explosive, mysterious physics

image of a sea butterfly on a black background

Sea butterflies’ shells determine how the snails swim

Ogre-faced spider

Ogre-faced spiders catch insects out of the air using sound instead of sight

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More Stories

Life

A newfound feathered dinosaur sported fuzz and weird rods on its shoulders

By John PickrellDecember 14, 2020
Dog ticks may get more of a taste for human blood as the climate changes

By Aayushi PratapNovember 30, 2020
Monarch caterpillars head-butt each other to fight for scarce food

By Curtis SegarraNovember 19, 2020

Humans

Ancient humans may have deliberately voyaged to Japan’s Ryukyu Islands

By Charles ChoiDecember 3, 2020
The longest trail of fossilized human footprints hints at a risky Ice Age trek

By Aayushi PratapOctober 26, 2020
We still don’t know what COVID-19 immunity means or how long it lasts

By Erin Garcia de JesusOctober 19, 2020

Climate

‘The New Climate War’ exposes tactics of climate change ‘inactivists’

By Carolyn GramlingJanuary 15, 2021
2020 and 2016 tie for the hottest years on record

By Carolyn GramlingJanuary 14, 2021
Ocean acidification may make some species glow brighter

By Bethany BrookshireJanuary 11, 2021

Astronomy

The Milky Way’s central black hole may have turned nearby red giant stars blue

By Ken CroswellDecember 14, 2020
Enormous X-ray bubbles balloon from the center of the Milky Way

By Emily ConoverDecember 9, 2020
Betelgeuse went dark, but didn’t go supernova. What happened?

By Lisa GrossmanNovember 29, 2020

Physics

Newton’s groundbreaking Principia may have been more popular than previously thought

By Emily ConoverNovember 23, 2020
Supercooled water has been caught morphing between two forms

By Emily ConoverNovember 19, 2020
LIGO and Virgo’s gravitational wave tally more than quadrupled in six months

By Emily ConoverOctober 28, 2020

Health & Medicine

A new polio vaccine joins the fight to vanquish the paralyzing disease

By Aimee CunninghamJanuary 8, 2021
Against all odds, 2020 featured some good health news

By Laura SandersDecember 29, 2020
How does the newly authorized Moderna COVID-19 vaccine compare to Pfizer’s?

By Erin Garcia de JesusDecember 18, 2020

Earth

How the Earth-shaking theory of plate tectonics was born

By Carolyn GramlingJanuary 13, 2021
Earth’s oceans are storing record-breaking amounts of heat

By Maria TemmingJanuary 13, 2021
Reawakened Yellowstone geyser isn’t a sign of imminent explosion

By Carolyn GramlingJanuary 11, 2021

Science & Society

Marie Tharp’s groundbreaking maps brought the seafloor to the world

By Betsy MasonJanuary 13, 2021
‘The Light Ages’ illuminates the science of the so-called Dark Ages

By Tom SiegfriedJanuary 8, 2021
How schools can reduce excessive discipline of Black students

By Sujata GuptaJanuary 6, 2021