All Stories

  1. Astronomy

    Star-eating star spotted

    The first Thorne-Żytkow Object, a strange pair of stars where one engulfs the other, has been discovered.

    By
  2. 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
  3. Science & Society

    Scientists have long had one of the most admired careers

    Excerpt from the July 11, 1964, issue of Science News Letter.

    By
  4. 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.

    By
  5. 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.

    By
  6. 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.

    By
  7. Anthropology

    Neanderthals reveal their diet with oldest excrement

    50,000-year-old fossil poop hints at Neanderthals’ omnivorous, but meat-heavy, diet.

    By
  8. 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
  9. 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.

    By
  10. 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.

    By
  11. 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
  12. 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.

    By