All Stories

  1. A red-headed hummingbird hovers in the air in front of blurred foliage
    Animals

    How hummingbirds fly through spaces too narrow for their wings

    Using high-speed cameras, a new study reveals Anna’s hummingbirds turn sideways to shimmy through gaps half as wide as their wingspan.

    By Erin Garcia de Jesús
  2. A photo showing the flames of the Marshall Fire burning homes in a neighborhood at night.
    Environment

    Grassland and shrubland fires destroy more U.S. homes than forest fires

    Grassland and shrubland fires destroyed nearly 11,000 homes in the contiguous United States from 1990 to 2020.

    By Nikk Ogasa
  3. This image shows a man in Houston wiping sweat from his brow amid a record-breaking heat wave in June.
    Climate

    The last 12 months were the hottest on record

    The planet’s average temperature was about 1.3 degrees Celsius higher than the 1850–1900 average, a new report finds.

    By Carolyn Gramling
  4. a single head louse
    Life

    Head lice hitched a ride on humans to the Americas at least twice

    The genes of head lice record the story of their human hosts’ global voyages.

    By Jake Buehler
  5. A photomosaic of the southern hemisphere of Mercury.
    Planetary Science

    50 years ago, the first probe to visit Mercury launched

    In the 1970s, NASA’s Mariner 10 became the first spacecraft to visit Mercury. Only one other probe has made the journey and another one is on its way.

    By Christopher Crockett
  6. Physicist Ranga Dias in the laboratory
    Physics

    A controversial room-temperature superconductor result has now been retracted 

    The retraction by Nature is the third for beleaguered physicist Ranga Dias, who still stands by his claim of a room-temperature superconductor.

    By Emily Conover
  7. An illustration of a black man in a red jacket hugging himself while several other people walk by and don't seem to notice him.
    Psychology

    Why scientists are expanding the definition of loneliness

    Feeling detached from animals, places and routines can cause loneliness, researchers are learning, which may expand the list of interventions.

    By Sujata Gupta
  8. A photo of a gray African elephant seen in profile as it walks.
    Animals

    The mysterious deaths of dozens of Zimbabwe’s elephants has been solved

    A bacterium never before identified in elephants or implicated in deadly internal hemorrhaging killed Zimbabwe elephants in 2020, genetic tests show.

    By Tawanda Karombo
  9. A photo shows travelers arriving at JFK airport in New York City.
    Health & Medicine

    The CDC is expanding its disease surveillance of international travelers

    Passengers at four major U.S. airports will now be tested for over 30 pathogens through a mix of wastewater testing and voluntary nasal swabs.

    By Betsy Ladyzhets
  10. A picture of a kingfisher bird diving toward the water
    Animals

    Here’s how high-speed diving kingfishers may avoid concussions

    Understanding the genetic adaptations that protect the birds’ brains when they dive for food might one day offer clues to protecting human brains.

    By Claudia López Lloreda
  11. A false-color infrared image of Jupiter seen in shades of blue, green, red and white.
    Planetary Science

    JWST spotted a new speedy jet stream in Jupiter’s atmosphere

    Seen in images from the James Webb Space Telescope, the high-altitude feature may help untangle the inner workings of the giant planet’s atmosphere.

    By Carolyn Wilke
  12. A gray rat on a black backround, with its head and one front paw raised.
    Neuroscience

    In a Jedi-like feat, rats can move a digital object using just their brain

    In a new study, rats could imagine their way through a 3-D virtual world, hinting at how brains can think about places that they’re not physically in.

    By Laura Sanders