All Stories
- Neuroscience
Bees may merge their flower memories
Bumblebees sometimes prefer fake flowers with the combined patterns and colors of ones seen before, suggesting they merge memories of past experiences.
- Life
Chili peppers’ pain-relieving secrets uncovered
Scientists discover how stuff that makes chili peppers hot relieves pain.
- Animals
Some cicadas drum up a beat with the help of their wings
By using their wings as drumsticks, so-called “mute” cicadas can make themselves heard.
- Computing
Artificial intelligence conquers Space Invaders, Pong, Q*bert
With a single algorithm, a computer can learn dozens of classic video games, researchers from Google DeepMind in London report.
- Astronomy
Monster black hole lurks in the early universe
A black hole weighing the same as 12 billion suns is the most massive one known in the early universe.
- Climate
Scientists confirm amassing CO2 heats Earth’s surface
Rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide increase the amount of thermal radiation striking Earth’s surface.
- Quantum Physics
Physicists double their teleportation power
In a teleportation first, physicists transfer two quantum properties from one photon to another.
- Health & Medicine
Additives that keep foods fresh may sour in the gut
Additives called emulsifiers that are used in ice cream and other foods weaken the intestines’ defenses against bacteria, causing inflammation in mice.
- Health & Medicine
Community protection against measles jeopardized
‘Herd immunity’ to measles may be threatened by low vaccination rates in some parts of the United States.
- Health & Medicine
Why stress doesn’t just stay in your head
Chronic stress may start in the brain, but new research reveals that its influences on the body roam far and wide.
- Earth
Water’s unclear origins, shaky solutions to climate change and more reader feedback
Readers discuss the pitfalls of carbon storage, whether a recent movie got Alan Turing's story right and more.
- Life
The eyes have it: Long lashes not so lovely
Eyelashes can’t be too short or too long without ruining their aerodynamic protection.
