All Stories
- Animals
Swimming dolphins don’t need to cheat
Dolphins swimming through bubbles burst old notion of underpowered muscles.
By Susan Milius - Astronomy
Planet found around sun twin in star cluster
The exoplanet YBP1194b orbits a twin of the sun in the star cluster Messier 67. Astronomers found three planets orbiting stars in the cluster.
- Life
V-flying birds pick efficient flapping pattern
Ibises time their flaps to catch a boost from a neighbor’s wing.
By Susan Milius - Ecosystems
Trees’ growth keeps climbing with age
Older trees pack on weight faster, making them potentially the best carbon collectors.
By Meghan Rosen - Genetics
Scorpion’s sting evolved from insects’ defensive proteins
With a single genetic mutation, an insect’s defensive proteins can be transformed into a toxin that gives scorpions their signature sting, a new study shows.
- Quantum Physics
‘QBists’ tackle quantum problems by adding a subjective aspect to science
Advocates of a program called “Quantum Bayesianism” take a subjective approach to resolving the paradoxes of quantum physics.
- Tech
Jellyfish-like flying machine takes off
Mimicking sea creatures instead of insects leads to better hovering, scientists find.
- Astronomy
Kepler’s surprise: Planet hunter also found supernovas
NASA's now-defunct Kepler space telescope captured five stellar explosions as they happened.
By Andrew Grant - Agriculture
Some bioenergy crops are greener than others
In the Upper Midwest, switchgrass trumps maize at boosting ecological health.
By Beth Mole - Psychology
The most (and least) realistic movie psychopaths ever
A forensic psychologist spent three years watching 400 movies to trace portrayals of psychopaths.
- Science & Society
Tracking fireballs for science
Watching a meteor race across the night sky is a romantic experience. And now it can be a scientific one as well.
- Health & Medicine
‘Good bacterium’ prevents colic symptoms in newborns
Crying time was nearly halved in babies receiving the beneficial microbe.
By Nathan Seppa