All Stories

  1. A small crustacean, Idotea balthica, that looks like a small clawless lobster, climbs along a stalk of red algae
    Life

    Like bees of the sea, crustaceans ‘pollinate’ seaweed

    Crustaceans shuttle around red algae’s sex cells, helping the seaweed reproduce in a manner remarkably similar to flower pollination.

    By Jake Buehler
  2. ultrasound patch on skin
    Health & Medicine

    This stick-on ultrasound patch could let you watch your own heart beat

    A new, coin-sized ultrasound probe can stick to the skin like a Band-Aid for up to two days straight, marking a milestone in personalized medicine.

    By Asa Stahl
  3. night sky photo of a double aurora (in green and red)
    Space

    Amateur astronomers’ images of a rare double aurora may unlock its secrets

    With breathtaking videos, citizen scientists have shown researchers a new pattern of auroras that may solve the mystery behind a strange red glow.

    By Asa Stahl
  4. portrait of a northern giant hornet specimen
    Animals

    ‘Murder hornets’ have a new common name: Northern giant hornet

    Anti-Asian hate crimes helped push U.S. entomologists to give a colorful insect initially dubbed the Asian giant hornet a less inflammatory name.

    By Susan Milius
  5. an experiment that uses strontium ions to test quantum entanglement
    Quantum Physics

    Quantum entanglement makes quantum communication even more secure

    Bell tests proved that quantum mechanics really is “spooky.” Now they’ve made quantum communication even more hacker-proof.

    By Emily Conover
  6. a child holding a glass of milk grimaces
    Anthropology

    Famine and disease may have driven ancient Europeans’ lactose tolerance

    Dealing with food shortages and infections over thousands of years, not widespread milk consumption, may be how an ability to digest dairy evolved.

    By Bruce Bower
  7. a man in a red shirt and a black cap standing in front of a misting fan
    Climate

    Humans may not be able to handle as much heat as scientists thought

    Humans’ capacity to endure heat stress may be lower than previously thought — bad news as climate change leads to more heat waves around the globe.

    By Carolyn Gramling
  8. yellow underwing moth on a red clover flower at night
    Life

    Moths pollinate clover flowers at night, after bees have gone home

    Camera footage reveals that moths make roughly a third of the visits to red clover, highlighting the overlooked role of nighttime pollinators.

    By Jake Buehler
  9. array of reflectors around a tower with a solar reactor
    Environment

    How to make jet fuel from sunlight, air and water vapor

    Solar kerosene could one day replace petroleum-derived jet fuel in airplanes and help stabilize greenhouse gas emissions.

    By Nikk Ogasa
  10. Burger patties in various levels of doneness and buns arranged on a grill
    Math

    Here’s the quickest way to grill burgers, according to math

    The fastest way to cook a burger involves flipping the patty about three to four times, a mathematician says.

    By Anil Oza
  11. A woman wearing a mask pokes through window blinds. A sign on the window says COVID-19 with SELF ISOLATING above and below a masked face
    Health & Medicine

    Here’s what to do when someone at home has COVID-19

    Creating an isolation ward and filtering the air can prevent viral transmission.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  12. a 14,000-year-old partial skull of an ancient hominid shown from multiple angles
    Humans

    Ancient DNA links an East Asian Homo sapiens woman to early Americans

    Genetic clues point to a Late Stone Age trek from southwestern China to North America.

    By Bruce Bower