All Stories

  1. Photo of a wildlife crossing in Israel
    Ecosystems

    ‘Crossings’ explores the science of road ecology

    Ben Goldfarb talks about his new book, which looks at the science that’s helping to prevent animals from becoming roadkill.

    By Amanda Heidt
  2. Cartoon illustration shows five people sitting around a table with a cake that has been cut in the middle with a knife and additional plates with cake on them in the foreground. Everyone has different sized cake slices on their plates. Only one person looks happy.
    Math

    Here’s why mathematicians are so interested in cake cutting

    The question of how to fairly divide resources attracts game theorists, computer scientists, economists, legal experts and more.

    By Stephen Ornes
  3. An image of a pig embryo seen from the side with a large patch of red visible in its stomach.
    Health & Medicine

    Scientists grow humanized kidneys in pig embryos

    The work represents an important advance in the methods needed to grow humanized kidneys, hearts, and pancreases in animals.

    By Amanda Heidt
  4. mushroom
    Earth

    When discussing flora and fauna, don’t forget ‘funga’

    Conservation efforts often overlook fungi. That can change by using “mycologically inclusive language,” researchers say.

    By Jude Coleman
  5. dinobird illustration
    Paleontology

    This newfound birdlike dinosaur had surprisingly long legs

    Early birdlike dinosaurs are mostly short-limbed and thought to have lived in trees, but Fujianvenator prodigiosus may have run or waded in swamps.

    By Nikk Ogasa
  6. A gloved hand swaps a green leaf.
    Animals

    A new DNA leaf swab technique could revolutionize how we monitor biodiversity

    Simple swabs of just 24 leaves in Uganda’s Kibale National Park provided a genetic snapshot of 52 animals in the tropical forest.

    By Darren Incorvaia
  7. In this illustration of a supermassive black hole, rays of bright gas escape from the center of a disc-shaped gray cloud.
    Astronomy

    Active supermassive black holes may be rarer than previously thought

    A dearth of rapidly growing black holes in new James Webb telescope data raises questions about how these behemoths grow and influence their galaxies.

    By Darren Incorvaia
  8. A diamond anvil crunches a material viewed through a microscope.
    Physics

    Superconductor research surges forward despite controversy over stunning claims

    After retractions from Ranga Dias’ group, high-pressure physicists are feeling the squeeze, fearing the controversy will tarnish other research.

    By Emily Conover
  9. A 3-D image of the area between the skull and outer layer of the brain shows veins in pink and tunnels in blue vertical lines connecting the two layers.
    Neuroscience

    Bone marrow in the skull could be used to monitor Alzheimer’s, MS and more

    New observations of skull cell signals and skull tunnels suggest bone marrow there could be used to monitor neurological diseases.

    By Claudia López Lloreda
  10. Two yellowish branches of a finger coral from the species Porites compressa are pictured.
    Animals

    Adult corals have been safely frozen and revived for the first time

    Chunks of living corals could be frozen for safekeeping and revived later to restore reef ecosystems that are withering in warming seas.

    By Nikk Ogasa
  11. photo of a downburst near Burlington, Colo.
    Earth

    How thunderstorms can spawn damaging ‘downbursts’

    Powerful winds called downbursts are not the same as a tornado, but the damage they cause can be similar — and can hit with little warning.

    By Skyler Ware
  12. A photo of an EMI brain scanner.
    Health & Medicine

    50 years ago, X-rays provided an unprecedented look inside the brain

    CT scans can now image the whole body and are even used in other scientific fields such as archaeology, zoology and physics.

    By Lillian Steenblik Hwang