All Stories

  1. Neuroscience

    With good timing, experiences can rewire old brains

    New experiences can rewire old brains — but the timing has to be just right.

    By Ashley Yeager
  2. Paleontology

    Ancient wolf skulls challenge dog domestication timeline

    A 3-D analysis of two ancient canine skulls from Russia and Belgium suggests the fossils were of wolves, not dogs.

    By Helen Thompson
  3. Animals

    Tropical wasps memorize friendly faces

    A social wasp species uses sight and smell to keep intruders from hijacking their nests.

    By Helen Thompson
  4. Planetary Science

    New Horizons snaps new photos of Pluto

    Pluto and its moon Charon appear as two smudges in the first pictures taken since New Horizons came out of hibernation.

    By Christopher Crockett
  5. Neuroscience

    How the brain sees follow-through

    The follow-through on your golf swing is more than just a way to use up extra energy. It’s part of how your brain “sees” a movement.

    By Bethany Brookshire
  6. Health & Medicine

    Handheld device turns smartphone into diagnostic tool

    A compact device can process a blood sample to diagnose HIV or syphilis when attached to a smartphone.

    By Nathan Seppa
  7. Health & Medicine

    E-cigarettes lower immunity to flu and other germs

    Electronic cigarettes produce substantial amounts of lung inflammation, a new mouse study finds. They may also reduce the ability to fight off infections from strep and flu germs.

    By Janet Raloff
  8. Paleontology

    Monkeys reached Americas about 36 million years ago

    Peruvian fossils suggest ancient African primates somehow crossed the Atlantic Ocean and gave rise to South American monkeys.

    By Bruce Bower
  9. Earth

    Geologists discover tectonic plate’s slippery underbelly

    Slippery layer of partially melted rock underneath tectonic plate revealed using reflected dynamite blast vibrations.

    By Thomas Sumner
  10. Science & Society

    Finalists chosen to compete in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search

    Teens from 18 states will soon face off in the finals of the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search, the nation’s most prestigious science research competition for high school seniors.

    By Sid Perkins
  11. Plants

    Huge, hollow baobab trees are actually multiple fused stems

    The trunk of an African baobab tree can grow to be many meters in diameter but hollow inside. The shape, researchers say, occurs when several stems fuse together.

    By Sarah Zielinski
  12. Animals

    Cockroach personalities can speed or slow group decisions

    The mix of temperaments in an alarmed cluster of cockroaches changes how quickly they make group decisions.

    By Susan Milius