All Stories
- Astronomy
Star-eating star spotted
The first Thorne-Żytkow Object, a strange pair of stars where one engulfs the other, has been discovered.
- Animals
Mysterious neurotoxin may help flatworms kill prey
Tetrodotoxin, the deadly chemical in pufferfish, could help flatworms transform their earthworm prey into puddles of goo.
By Beth Mole - Science & Society
Scientists have long had one of the most admired careers
Excerpt from the July 11, 1964, issue of Science News Letter.
- Neuroscience
Busy brain hubs go awry in disorders, study suggests
Schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s and other brain disorders may occur when the brain’s most active hubs are damaged.
- Life
HIV hides in growth-promoting genes
The discovery that HIV can trigger infected cells to divide means scientists may need to rethink strategies for treating the virus that causes AIDS.
- Chemistry
Safe salt could yield cheaper, more efficient solar cells
Magnesium chloride could be the key ingredient for concocting efficient solar cells with cadmium telluride.
- Anthropology
Neanderthals reveal their diet with oldest excrement
50,000-year-old fossil poop hints at Neanderthals’ omnivorous, but meat-heavy, diet.
- Health & Medicine
Hidden heart rhythm problem may underlie some strokes
In two clinical studies, people who had had strokes with no trigger sometimes also had undiagnosed atrial fibrillation.
By Nathan Seppa - Astronomy
Rare trio of supermassive black holes found
Three supermassive black holes residing where two distant galaxies collide offer new clues about where to look for gravitational waves.
- Physics
Tiny silica spheres put the disco in disco clams
The electric effect in disco clams is actually the result of light scattering off tiny silica spheres.
- Science & Society
Weapon inspection scheme would test for nukes but keep designs secret
Technique borrowed from computer science could improve weapon verification and encourage countries to agree to nuclear disarmament.
By Andrew Grant - Health & Medicine
Your baby can watch movies for science
Any parent with a computer can let their kid participate in child development studies through a new website called Lookit.