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A photo of a green laser beam being sent through several pieces of glass.

Physics

Technique to see the ultrafast world of electrons wins 2023 physics Nobel

Physicists Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz and Anne L’Huillier won for work creating light bursts that last billionths of a billionth of a second.

By Emily Conover8 hours ago

A photo of two baby pied tamarins lying on the back of an adult pied tamarin in a tree.

Animals

In noisy environs, pied tamarins are using smell more often to communicate

By Meghie Rodrigues10 hours ago

Plants

The first citrus fruits may have come from southern China

By Erin Garcia de JesúsOctober 2, 2023

illustration of a messenger RNA molecule covered in lipid bubbles

Health & Medicine

Early mRNA research that led to COVID-19 vaccines wins 2023 medicine Nobel Prize

By Tina Hesman SaeyOctober 2, 2023

Fuel pellet for nuclear fusion

Physics

50 years ago, scientists dreamed of lasers that could kick off nuclear fusion

By Emily ConoverOctober 2, 2023

A photo of a Chicago police car parked behind a dark-colored van.

Science & Society

Curbing pedestrian stops might not reduce police-civilian encounters

By Sujata GuptaSeptember 29, 2023

A photo of several wood frog egg masses floating in a yellowish-clear liquid.

Animals

The right bacterial mix could help frogs take the heat

By Bethany BrookshireSeptember 29, 2023

Century of Science from ScienceNews

Explore major advances across the sciences that have transformed our understanding of the world and our universe, and our lives.

Explore Century of Science

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Milestones

Spotlights

The Climate Fix

A line of wind turbines disappearing into the distance with an out of focus wheat field in the foreground.

It’s possible to reach net-zero carbon emissions. Here’s how

Cutting carbon dioxide emissions to curb climate change and reach net zero is possible but not easy.

By Alexandra WitzeJanuary 27, 2023
How an Indigenous community in Panama is escaping rising seas
How Kenya is helping its neighbors develop geothermal energy

From the Archives

Did a Black Hole Collide with the Earth in 1908?

September 22, 1973 Vol. 104 No. #12

Science News Magazine

cover of the 9/23/23 issue of Science News

September 23, 2023 Vol. 204 No. 5

Featured Media

a black and white animation in which ghosts representing neutrinos pass through the earth

How ghostly neutrinos could explain the universe’s matter mystery

If neutrinos behave differently from their antimatter counterparts, it could help explain why our cosmos is full of stuff.

illustration of a black hole

Weird black holes may hold secrets of the early universe

Pictures of a fossilized theropod, Ubirajara jubatus

Paleontology has a ‘parachute science’ problem. Here’s how it plays out in 3 nations

A photo of wind turbines in a grassy area with power lines nearby.

How one device could help transform our power grid

telescope image of a star cluster, which is surrounded by a blue haze

How do scientists calculate the age of a star?

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More Stories

Life

Around 13,000 years ago, humans and fire changed LA’s ecosystem forever

By Jake BuehlerAugust 17, 2023
Many frogs glow in blue light, and it may be a secret, eerie language

By Jake BuehlerAugust 13, 2023
A fantastical world of potential giant viruses lurks beneath the soil

By Meghan RosenAugust 4, 2023

Humans

Human embryo replicas have gotten more complex. Here’s what you need to know

By Tina Hesman SaeyJuly 24, 2023
Lauren Schroeder looks beyond natural selection to rethink human evolution

By Anna GibbsJuly 11, 2023
Oldest traces of a dysentery-causing parasite were found in ancient toilets

By Freda KreierMay 25, 2023

Climate

‘Our Fragile Moment’ finds modern lessons in Earth’s history of climate

By Luis Melecio-ZambranoSeptember 25, 2023
What’s driving an increasing number of hurricanes to rapidly intensify?

By Carolyn GramlingSeptember 13, 2023
Arctic sea ice may melt faster in coming years due to shifting winds

By Carolyn GramlingAugust 31, 2023

Astronomy

This ‘polar ring’ galaxy looks like an eye. Others might be hiding in plain sight

By Elise CuttsSeptember 27, 2023
Astronomers call for renaming the Magellanic Clouds

By Emily ConoverSeptember 26, 2023
Active supermassive black holes may be rarer than previously thought

By Darren IncorvaiaSeptember 6, 2023

Physics

A laser gyroscope measured tiny variations in the lengths of days on Earth

By Emily ConoverSeptember 18, 2023
Scientists have two ways to spot gravitational waves. Here are some other ideas

By Emily ConoverSeptember 15, 2023
Filipino math teacher Emma Rotor helped develop crucial WWII weapons tech

By Erwin R. TiongsonSeptember 12, 2023

Health & Medicine

How a deadly fungus is so good at sticking to skin and other surfaces

By Tina Hesman SaeySeptember 28, 2023
Here’s how much coronavirus people infected with COVID-19 may exhale

By Saima S. IqbalSeptember 25, 2023
Mouth taping may be a trending sleep hack, but the science behind it is slim

By Meghan RosenSeptember 22, 2023

Earth

To form pink diamonds, build and destroy a supercontinent

By Nikk OgasaSeptember 19, 2023
When discussing flora and fauna, don’t forget ‘funga’

By Jude ColemanSeptember 7, 2023
How thunderstorms can spawn damaging ‘downbursts’

By Skyler WareSeptember 4, 2023

Science & Society

California’s long-standing affirmative action ban hints at what’s to come

By Sujata GuptaJuly 6, 2023
Humans exploit about one-third of wild vertebrate species

By Sid PerkinsJune 29, 2023
Anténor Firmin challenged anthropology’s racist roots 150 years ago

By Sujata GuptaMay 17, 2023