All Stories

  1. Physics

    Material looks cool while heating up

    Substance that tricks infrared camera could pave the way for new types of camouflage and heating technology.

    By
  2. Astronomy

    Oort cloud tosses astronomers a cometary curveball

    In late November, ISON will deliver debris from the dawn of the solar system to Earth’s doorstep.

    By
  3. Chemistry

    Oxygen shapes growth of graphene

    The number of atoms on a copper surface changes the size and rate of the material's crystal development.

    By
  4. Health & Medicine

    New definition of ‘full term’ narrows on-time arrival window

    Until now, babies born at any time during a wide five-week window were considered fully cooked. Now, a panel of clinicians says otherwise.

    By
  5. Physics

    Top 10 scientific supers

    From supersonic to supernova, superego and supersymmetry, a roundup of science’s super superlatives.

    By
  6. Chemistry

    Water squishes into stable shapes, no container required

    Nanoparticles lock together to hold water in place for more than a month.

    By
  7. Life

    Scorpion venom kills pain in mice

    Toxin works with nerve proteins to block distress signals’ journey to brain.

    By
  8. Physics

    Four atoms make a material

    A new experiment gives physicists clues about when to describe atoms as individuals and when to describe them as acting as a group.

    By
  9. Humans

    What makes a face go round

    Genetic enhancers acting far away from their intended genes can help shape a face during development.

    By
  10. Health & Medicine

    Inactive HIV poses even greater barrier to cure

    The reservoir of dormant virus strains is larger than scientists estimated, a finding that could make the virus harder to combat.

    By
  11. Animals

    Maybe Britain shouldn’t kill its badgers

    A study on badger social networks shows that isolated badgers are the ones that most often carry TB and cause infections among — but not within — groups.

    By
  12. Animals

    Common pesticides change odds in ant fights

    Species’ combat success can rise or fall after repeated exposure to a common neonicotinoid insecticide.

    By