All Stories
- Life
Cleared tropical forests can regain ground surprisingly fast
Tropical forests can re-establish themselves on abandoned agricultural lands faster than expected, scientists say.
- Climate
Wildfire smoke may ramp up toxic ozone production in cities
A new study reveals how wildfire smoke produces toxic ozone and how urban air pollution could exacerbate the problem.
- Science & Society
These are Science News’ favorite books of 2021
Our favorite books covered the Big Bang theory, human evolution, gene editing, how to define life, pseudoscience and more.
- Animals
Gut bacteria let vulture bees eat rotting flesh without getting sick
Acid-producing bacteria in the gut of vulture bees let these “weirdos of the bee world” safely snack on animal carcasses.
- Quantum Physics
Physicists have coaxed ultracold atoms into an elusive form of quantum matter
Quantum spin liquids could be used to help protect fragile information in quantum computers.
- Health & Medicine
A massive 8-year effort finds that much cancer research can’t be replicated
A project aiming to reproduce nearly 200 top cancer experiments found only a quarter could be replicated.
- Life
Light-colored feathers may help migrating birds stay cool on long flights
Analysis of over 20,000 illustrations of birds reveals that migrating birds generally tend to have lighter-colored feathers than birds that stay put.
- Plants
Invasive grasses are taking over the American West’s sea of sagebrush
Cheatgrass and other invasive plants are expanding rapidly in the western United States, putting more places at risk for wildfires.
- Climate
Climate change could make Virginia’s Tangier Island uninhabitable by 2051
Tangier Island could be lost to rising seas sooner than previously realized. Whether to save the island or move its residents remains undecided.
- Health & Medicine
Tiny living machines called xenobots can create copies of themselves
When clusters of frog cells known as xenobots form a Pac-Man shape, they are especially efficient at replicating in a new way, researchers say.
-
Can psychedelics meet their potential for treating mental health disorders?
Psychedelics hold lots of promise as treatments for mental health disorders like PTSD and depression. But the drugs still face hurdles.
- Health & Medicine
Merck’s COVID-19 pill may soon be here. How well will it work?
Once hailed as a potential game changer, more complete data now reveal drawbacks of Merck’s antiviral COVID-19 pill, molnupiravir.
