All Stories

  1. Astronomy

    Chilly starlike orb found just a few light-years away

    WISE J085510.83-071442.5 is the coldest brown dwarf found to date.

    By
  2. Genetics

    Y chromosome gets a closer examination

    The Y chromosome may play a larger role in Turner syndrome and in health and disease differences between males and females than previously thought.

    By
  3. Animals

    A guide to the world’s biggest flightless birds

    A rhea on the loose in England has prompted warnings about approaching the bird. From ostriches to cassowaries, here’s your guide to friendly and unfriendly big birds.

    By
  4. Climate

    Glacial microbes gobble methane

    While some bacteria produce methane in Greenland’s melting ice sheet, others may consume the greenhouse gas as it escapes.

    By
  5. Astronomy

    More details of super-bright supernova released

    A supernova whose light was magnified by a large galaxy in front of it is changing the way astronomers think about distant cosmic objects.

    By
  6. Animals

    Frustrated fish get feisty

    Smaller rainbow trout become more aggressive towards bigger fish when they don’t their usual treats.

    By
  7. Psychology

    Word-streaming tech may spell trouble for readers

    Technologies like Spritz that display one word at a time on a screen reduce reading comprehension, a new study concludes.

    By
  8. Materials Science

    How fractals jam glassy materials

    Understanding the intricate energy landscape of glasses could help to explain what happens when glassy materials are deformed or when coffee beans in a container jam.

    By
  9. Genetics

    Farmers assimilated foragers as they spread agriculture

    While some European hunter-gatherers remained separate, others mated with the early farmers that introduced agriculture to the continent.

    By
  10. Humans

    Could the menstrual cycle have shaped the evolution of music?

    A new study suggesting that women select better musicians shows how women’s role in evolution is being redefined.

    By
  11. Genetics

    Gene therapy with electrical pulses spurs nerve growth

    Deaf guinea pigs' hearing improves with electrical pulses from a hearing implant are combined with gene therapy, a new study shows.

    By
  12. Health & Medicine

    Enzyme may help aspirin protect against colon cancer

    Aspirin may not reduce colon cancer risk in people with low levels of a protective enzyme called 15-PGDH.

    By