All Stories
- Environment
Molting seals shed mercury along with fur
Seals spew amassed mercury when they shed, creating hotbeds of pollution in otherwise pristine coastal environments.
- Planetary Science
The sad magnetic state of the solar system’s rocky worlds
While a strong magnetic shield protects Earth from the sun’s occasional outbursts, the solar system’s other rocky planets are mostly defenseless.
- Physics
Nobel laureate finds beauty in science and science in beauty
In ‘A Beautiful Question,’ Frank Wilczek explores links between math and art
- Animals
A monkey uses a stick to pick its teeth and nose
A wild bearded capuchin monkey in Brazil was caught using tools to pick its nose and teeth.
- Planetary Science
The wait for more Pluto data is almost over
As New Horizons prepares to tell us everything it learned about Pluto, fans of the dwarf planet take a crack at imagining what the spacecraft saw.
- Materials Science
Graphene shows signs of superconductivity
Ultrathin sheets of carbon can conduct electrical current with no resistance at low temperatures.
- Animals
Rabbits leave a mark on soil long after they are gone
Twenty years after rabbits were removed from a sub-Antarctic island, soil fungus has yet to return to normal, a study finds.
- Environment
Latest BPA replacement seeps into people’s blood and urine
Replacements for BPA called BPS and BPSIP may raise health risks for cashiers.
- Earth
The magnetic mystery at the center of the Earth
The history of the planet’s all-important magnetic field has scientists ramping up simulations and lab experiments to resolve a baffling paradox.
- Climate
Virtual twister reveals possible source of tornado longevity
First computer simulation of a long-lived EF5 tornado may reveal why some twisters stick around.
- Health & Medicine
With flibanserin approval, a complicated drug takes the spotlight
The Food and Drug Administration has approved the first drug to increase women’s sexual desire. But whether the benefits outweigh the side effects depends on who you ask.
- Astronomy
First known exoplanets have few counterparts
The first known exoplanets were discovered around pulsars — probably one of the least likely places to have been found, astronomers now say.
