All Stories
- Quantum Physics
Quantum guessing game uses the future to predict the past
Physicists extrapolate forward and backward in time to make accurate predictions about an object’s quantum state at a particular moment.
- Astronomy
Top 10 messages to send to E.T.
Fears that sending signals to alien civilizations would provoke an invasion shouldn't prevent transmitting important messages.
- Planetary Science
Enceladus ocean may resemble Antarctic lake
The pH of a subsurface sea on a moon of Saturn resembles an ice-covered lake in Antarctica where microbial mats thrive.
- Animals
Fertile hermit crabs turn shy
Male hermit crabs that aren’t carrying much sperm are bolder than their more fertile brethren, a new study finds.
- Oceans
On East Coast, sea levels lean southward
On North America’s East Coast, sea levels tilt slightly downward to the north, new research finds.
- Health & Medicine
Stoplights are hot spots for airborne pollution
Drivers get a big chunk of their exposure to pollutants from short stops at traffic intersections.
- Paleontology
Earliest tree-dweller, burrower join mammal tree of life
Fossils show mammal ancestors did a lot more than cower in dinosaurs’ shadows.
- Oceans
Millions of tons of plastic end up in oceans each year
A new estimate quantifies how much plastic makes its way into the world’s oceans.
- Climate
Worst drought in a millennium predicted for central and southwest U.S.
Comparing reconstructions of past drought conditions with models of future dryness shows that the Central Plains and Southwest U.S. will become the driest in a millennium.
- Animals
Tiger swallowtail genome gives clues to insect’s stinky defense
Clues within the genetic code of the Eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly (Papilio glaucus) explain how it developed a smelly defense against predators.
- Animals
When you’re happy and you show it, dogs know it
A new test using pictures of halves of human faces challenges dogs’ abilities to read people’s emotions.
- Genetics
Ancient East Asians mixed and mingled multiple times with Neandertals
East Asians’ ancestors interbred with Neandertals more than once, explaining why modern East Asians carry more Neandertal DNA than Europeans do, two studies suggest.
