All Stories

  1. A montage of images from the James Webb Space Telescope showing a wide collection of stars.
    Space

    The James Webb telescope may have spotted stars powered by dark matter

    Three objects in the distant universe bear signs of hypothesized “dark stars,” researchers claim, though others say more definitive data are needed.

    By Skyler Ware
  2. A model of a human embryo against a black backdrop. The model has ane exterior ring dotted with bluish light clumps. Wtihin is an oval-shaped purplish blob of cells with orange running through it. Below that are long bluish structures, also with bright orange and white running between cells
    Humans

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

    Lab-engineered human embryo models created from stem cells provide a look at development beyond the first week. But they raise ethical questions.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  3. illustration showing a line of Viking ships on the ocean horizon
    Archaeology

    How an ancient solar flare illuminated the start of the Viking Age

    Improved radiocarbon dating aided by a solar flare in the year 775 sheds light on the early days of Vikings and global trading in medieval times.

    By Martin J. Kernan
  4. Hubble telescope image showing a blue trail of dust behind the asteroid Dimorphos (also blue), with circles showing new boulders around the asteroid
    Planetary Science

    NASA’s DART mission lofted a swarm of boulders into space

    Hubble telescope images of the asteroid Dimorphos reveal a halo of 37 dim, newfound objects — most likely boulders shaken loose from the surface.

    By Sid Perkins
  5. An image of fluorescent antibodies light up the nervous system of a dead, transparent mouse, lying on its back with its head to the left. Colors show how deep nerve cells are in the animal, from blue (closest to the camera) to pink to yellow (farthest away).
    Health & Medicine

    With a new body mapping technique, mouse innards glow with exquisite detail

    Removing cholesterol from mouse bodies lets fluorescently labeled proteins infiltrate every tissue, helping researchers to map entire body systems.

    By Erin Garcia de Jesús
  6. illustration of earth showing the Amasia supercontinent
    Earth

    ‘The Next Supercontinent’ predicts a future collision of North America and Asia

    In his new book, Ross Mitchell traces the dance of the continents through time to predict what Amasia, the next supercontinent, might look like.

    By Alka Tripathy-Lang
  7. A photo of a man in a yellow raincoat standing at the end of a dock with his back to the camera. The background, in black and white, shows Lake Achen in Austria.
    Psychology

    Time in nature or exercise is touted for happiness. But evidence is lacking

    A review of hundreds of studies finds limited strong scientific evidence to support many common recommendations for leading a happier life.

    By Luis Melecio-Zambrano
  8. An illustration of a hand dropping a weight with a blue sky background.
    Physics

    Centuries on, Newton’s gravitational constant still can’t be pinned down

    A new experiment could finally answer the question 'What is the strength of gravity?' But it's a hard test to do.

    By James R. Riordon
  9. A photo of a temperature board in Phoenix, Arizona showing 110 degrees and the time 1:22 p.m.
    Climate

    What’s causing this summer’s extreme heat waves?

    Climate change and meandering jet streams are fomenting this summer’s extreme waves of heat.

    By Nikk Ogasa
  10. A photo of the lunar surface
    Planetary Science

    Granite likely lurks beneath the moon’s surface

    Without plate tectonics or water, granite is hard to make. But a 50-kilometer-wide hunk sits beneath the moon’s surface, lunar orbiter data suggest.

    By Katherine Kornei
  11. A photo of a crying baby laying on her back on a pillow in front of a window.
    Health & Medicine

    ‘Milking’ umbilical cords may help some sickly newborns

    Taking a few seconds to push umbilical cord blood into a baby’s belly could provide extra essential nutrients. But questions about the practice remain.

    By Luis Melecio-Zambrano
  12. An illustration of the BepiColombo probe with Mercury in the background.
    Planetary Science

    A rain of electrons causes Mercury’s X-ray auroras

    The first direct measurement of electrons raining down on Mercury suggests this particle precipitation causes most auroras in the solar system.

    By Elise Cutts