All Stories

  1. Materials Science

    A new spin on guiding sound waves along a one-way route

    A proposed acoustic topological insulator made of an array of spinning metal rods would channel sound waves in one direction along its edge, preventing any sound from bouncing away.

    By Andrew Grant
  2. Life

    Bright bird plumage resulted from natural, sexual selection

    Darwin hypothesized that bird color differences resulted from sexual selection. Wallace disagreed. A study shows that both were right after all.

    By Bethany Brookshire
  3. Animals

    Panda stalking reveals panda hangouts

    Scientists used GPS trackers to learn about the giant panda lifestyle.

    By Helen Thompson
  4. Materials Science

    Suds turn silver nanoparticles in clothes into duds

    Bleach-containing detergents destroy antibacterial silver nanoparticles that coat clothes.

    By Beth Mole
  5. Neuroscience

    Our taste in music may age out of harmony

    Age-related hearing loss may be more than just the highest notes. The brain may also lose the ability to tell consonance from dissonance, a new study shows.

    By Bethany Brookshire
  6. Astronomy

    Enigmatic 17th century nova wasn’t a nova at all

    A nova observed in 1670 was actually two stars colliding, new evidence suggests.

    By Helen Thompson
  7. Animals

    For bats, simple traffic patterns limit collisions

    Humans aren’t the only ones who follow traffic rules. Bats do it too, researchers report.

    By Kate Baggaley
  8. Genetics

    Ebola virus not mutating as quickly as thought

    The virus causing the current Ebola epidemic in West Africa is not evolving as quickly as some scientists had suggested.

    By Ashley Yeager
  9. Psychology

    Long-term study complicates understanding of child abuse

    Sexual abuse and neglect get reported more if parents were maltreated as kids, which may lead authorities to overestimate some children’s risk of abuse.

    By Bruce Bower
  10. Climate

    Antarctic ice shelves rapidly melting

    Melting around Antarctica is accelerating, with several ice shelves projected to vanish entirely within 100 years.

    By Thomas Sumner
  11. Life

    No-fishing scheme in Great Barrier Reef succeeds with valuable fishes

    Coral trout are thriving in marine protected areas in the Great Barrier Reef, but the no-take zones are having a smaller effect on other reef residents, a new 10-year report card shows.

    By Susan Milius
  12. Planetary Science

    NASA has a plan for putting rock from asteroid in moon’s orbit

    NASA selects concept for its Asteroid Redirect Mission, which will let astronauts train for future missions to Mars.

    By Christopher Crockett