All Stories
- Animals
Here’s how polar bears might get traction on snow
Microstructures on the Arctic animals’ paws might offer extra friction that keeps them from slipping on snow, a new study reports.
- Animals
Bizarre aye-aye primates take nose picking to the extreme
A nose-picking aye-aye’s spindly middle finger probably reaches all the way to the back of the throat, CT scans suggest.
- Animals
Insect swarms might generate as much electric charge as storm clouds
Honeybees flying over a sensor measuring atmospheric voltage sparked a look into how insect-induced static electricity might affect the atmosphere.
- Climate
Wind turbines could help capture carbon dioxide while providing power
Turbulent wakes from wind turbines can concentrate CO2 from cities and factories, making it easier to remove the greenhouse gas from the atmosphere.
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Long COVID brings another huge challenge to science
Editor in chief Nancy Shute discusses the challenges of long COVID and what it takes to report on it.
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- Animals
Mountain lions pushed out by wildfires take more risks
A study tracking mountain lions showed that after an intense burn, the big cats crossed roads more often, raising the risk of becoming roadkill.
- Astronomy
Meet the BOAT, the brightest gamma-ray burst of all time
Probably triggered by a supernova in a remote galaxy, the burst detected on October 9 could challenge theories about these brilliant blasts.
- Psychology
A new treatment for debilitating nightmares offers sweeter dreams
A new study combines standard nightmare disorder therapy with a memory-enhancing technique to create happier dreams and bring greater, lasting relief.
- Chemistry
Mixing gold ions into whiskey can reveal its flavor
By changing the spirit’s color, the formation of gold nanoparticles can reveal how much flavor a whiskey has absorbed from its wood cask.
- Earth
Particles from space provide a new look inside cyclones
Cosmic rays that smash into the atmosphere make muons that are sensitive to changing air pressure inside storms.
- Science & Society
Why fuzzy definitions are a problem in the social sciences
Social sciences research is plagued by murky definitions and measurements. Here’s why that matters.
