All Stories
- Health & Medicine
Spit test could provide early warning of head, neck cancers
A new study shows that signs of head and neck cancer can be detected in saliva and blood plasma even before tumors are clinically diagnosed.
- Life
How vitamin B12 makes pimples pop up
Vitamin B12 causes acne by altering metabolism of skin bacteria.
- Animals
Newly discovered yeti crab swarms around Antarctic hydrothermal vents
A newly discovered species of yeti crab thrives in tough conditions on Antarctic hydrothermal vents.
- Paleontology
Fossil worm adds head to its spiny appearance
Hallucigenia sparsa gives hints to how some animals ended up with teeth in their guts and platelike pieces around their mouths.
- Astronomy
Dark galaxies grow in abundance
Nearly 1,000 shadowy galaxies lurk in a nearby cluster, some of which are as massive as the Milky Way and yet have only 0.1 percent the number of stars.
- Planetary Science
Rosetta mission extended until September 2016
The Rosetta spacecraft will explore comet 67P through September 2016 and then may go to sleep on the comet’s surface.
- Plants
Beauty drives orchids towards extinction
Dozens of species of Asian slipper orchids have been newly classified as threatened or endangered, their numbers driven low by illegal trade.
- Astronomy
Magnetic ‘glue’ helps shape galaxies
Galaxy-wide magnetic fields may play a role in shaping the spiral arms of gas and stars.
- Planetary Science
Pluto and Charon’s orbital dance captured in color
New Horizons has captured the first true-color movie of Pluto and Charon orbiting one another.
- Neuroscience
Sense of smell is strictly personal, study suggests
A new test can identify individuals based on their sense of smell, and may hold information about a person’s genetic makeup as well.
- Neuroscience
Brain’s adult stem cells born early
By tracing the lineages of adult stem cells in the mouse brain, scientists get a view of the cells’ early lives.
- Animals
Silver ant hairs reflect sunlight, keeping Sahara dweller cool
The shiny hairs of the Saharan silver ant simultaneously reflect sunlight and permit the release of body heat, keeping the insects just cool enough to scavenge in the extreme summer sun.
By Andrew Grant