All Stories
- Astronomy
Supersized sunspot is largest in decades
A colossal sunspot large enough to be seen with the naked eye now blemishes the nearside of the sun, covering an area wide enough to comfortably fit 10 Earths side by side.
- Plants
How female ferns make younger neighbors male
Precocious female ferns release a partly formed sexual-identity hormone, and nearby laggards finish it and go masculine.
- Genetics
Easter Islanders sailed to Americas, DNA suggests
Genetic ties among present-day populations point to sea crossings centuries before European contact with Easter Island.
- Paleontology
Bright feathers give hints about dino vision
Dinosaurs may have seen the world in brilliant ultraviolet light and turquoises, which may have influenced the evolution of birds' feathers.
- Planetary Science
Rosetta’s comet is starting to let off more gas
Rosetta's close encounter with comet 67P reveals the growth of its jets and what's in the comet's surrounding haze.
- Tech
New microscope gives clear view inside cells
By splitting beams of light, a new microscopy technique can capture activity inside a cell.
- Animals
Southern birds may be moving into your winter backyard
A warming climate is letting warm-adapted birds live farther north in winter, a new study finds.
- Science & Society
E-commerce sites personalize search results to maximize profits
Travel and retail websites alter search results depending on whether consumers use smartphones or particular web browsers.
- Environment
No water contamination found in Ohio’s fracking epicenter
Methane in Ohio groundwater comes from biological sources, such as bacteria, not fossil fuel exploration.
- Paleontology
Stegosaurus landed a low blow in dino brawl
During a dinosaur scuffle 147 million years ago, a stegosaurus whipped an allosaurus in the crotch.
- Humans
Oldest human DNA narrows time of Neandertal hookups
A 45,000-year-old Siberian bone provides genetic clues about the timing of interbreeding between ancient humans and Neandertals.
- Astronomy
Comets caught zooming around nearby star
The young star Beta Pictoris hosts at least two families of comets, which might mirror our solar system’s past.
