All Stories
- Health & Medicine
A bioengineered protein may someday treat carbon monoxide poisoning
Mice treated with the protein, which is found in bacteria, quickly eliminated carbon monoxide from their body in their pee.
- Astronomy
A newborn planet munches on gas and dust surrounding its host star
In a first, astronomers imaged a baby planet within a gap in the disk of material around a star, confirming predictions about how rings form.
- Life
Horses may have become rideable with the help of a genetic mutation
To make horses rideable during domestication, people may have inadvertently targeted a mutation in horses to strengthen their backs and their balance.
- Environment
River turbulence can push toxic pollutants into the air
Levels of hydrogen sulfide gas soared near a raging section of the Tijuana River in San Diego, exposing residents to potentially harmful air pollution.
- Earth
20 years after Hurricane Katrina, is the U.S. better prepared?
Hurricane forecasts have improved since Katrina, but risks from climate change and budget cuts loom.
- Health & Medicine
A new antiviral blocks 6 deadly viruses in mice but faces a long road ahead
Scientists report that targeting sugars on virus surfaces stopped multiple infections, though the approach needs much refinement before human trials.
- Microbes
What makes chocolate taste so good? It’s the microbes
Beans matter, but microbes may be the real secret to fine chocolate flavor. Scientists are building starter cultures that may improve quality.
- Earth
Useful metals get unearthed in U.S. mines, then they’re tossed
Recovering these metals from mining by-products destined for waste sites could offset the need to import them from elsewhere or open new mines.
- Health & Medicine
Elderly cats with dementia may hold clues for Alzheimer’s
Immune cells in aging cat brains with amyloid beta destroy nerve endings, mimicking the progression of Alzheimer’s disease in humans.
- Health & Medicine
Scientists perform the first pig-to-human lung transplant
The genetically modified lung remained viable for nine days, but the recipient’s immune responses need more research, scientists say.
- Animals
The mysterious, extinct ‘Fuegian dog’ was actually a semi-tame fox
Historic European accounts long described the canids as domesticated dogs. A new study suggests that’s probably not true.
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Seeing the world in new ways
Editor in Chief Nancy Shute examines the exciting potential of the new Vera C. Rubin Observatory and muses on the mesmerizing world of fractals.
