All Stories

  1. Paleontology

    12 amazing fossil finds of 2015

    From an ancient sponge ancestor to the Carolina Butcher, scientists learned a lot about life on Earth this year.

    By Meghan Rosen
  2. Psychology

    As suicide rates rise, researchers separate thoughts from actions

    Advances in suicide research and treatment may depend on separating thoughts from acts.

    By Bruce Bower
  3. Astronomy

    Astronomical milestones of 2015

    The New Horizons mission to Pluto was the No. 1 science story of the year. Here some other notable space missions.

    By Christopher Crockett
  4. Animals

    Lemurs chat only with their best friends

    Ring-tailed lemurs maintain friendships built with grooming by calling to each other, a new study finds.

    By Sarah Zielinski
  5. Science & Society

    Science puzzles no longer so puzzling

    This year, researchers solved the riddle of mysterious radio bursts, the Erdös discrepancy problem and an elusive acid.

    By Macon Morehouse
  6. Science & Society

    These truisms proved false in 2015

    Don’t always believe what you hear. These truisms turned out to be false in 2015.

    By Macon Morehouse
  7. Animals

    Puff adders appear ‘invisible’ to noses

    The snakey scent of puff adders proves difficult for even sensitive animal noses to detect.

    By Susan Milius
  8. Planetary Science

    Equipment failure delays Mars mission

    A leaky instrument will push back launch of the Mars InSight lander by at least two years.

    By Andrew Grant
  9. Astronomy

    Equipment failure pushes back Mars lander mission

    The launch of the Mars InSight lander is suspended until at least 2018 because of a faulty seismometer.

    By Andrew Grant
  10. Science & Society

    How seeing ‘Star Wars’ satisfies your narcissistic tendencies

    Participating in geek culture allows self-identified geeks to satisfy a narcissistic need for expert status, a new study hypothesizes.

    By Rachel Ehrenberg
  11. Astronomy

    New recipe found for making supermassive black hole

    The universe’s first supermassive black holes may have formed directly from gas in colliding galaxies, new simulations suggest.

    By Andrew Grant
  12. Health & Medicine

    Gene behavior distinguishes viral from bacterial infections

    Researchers have identified signatures of viral infection, a distinction that may help doctors tell whether bacteria or a virus is causing trouble.

    By Laura Sanders