All Stories
- Animals
Aussie cockatoos use their beaks and claws to turn on water fountains
Parrots living in Sydney have learned how to turn on water fountains for a drink. It's the first such drinking strategy seen in the birds.
By Jake Buehler - Particle Physics
Muons’ magnetism matches theory, easing an enduring physics conundrum
A puzzle over muons’ magnetic properties could have broken the standard model. But the theory bounced back.
- Health & Medicine
U.S. moms say their mental health is getting worse
A national survey finds that mothers of children ages 0 to 17 years report mental health declines from 2016 to 2023.
- Astronomy
A dwarf galaxy just might upend the Milky Way’s predicated demise
The Milky Way may merge with the Large Magellanic Cloud in 2 billion years, not Andromeda, contrary to previous findings.
By Nikk Ogasa - Chemistry
Lotions and perfumes affect the air near our skin
The personal care products suppress reactions between skin oils and ozone. It's not clear how, or if, this chemistry change might impact human health.
By Skyler Ware - Animals
How luna moths grow extravagant wings
Warm temperatures, not just predator pressure, may favor luna moths’ long bat-fooling streamers, a geographic analysis of iNaturalist pics shows.
By Susan Milius - Planetary Science
Venus’ tectonics may be actively reshaping its surface
Circular landforms speckling the Venusian surface may be the work of tectonic activity.
By Nikk Ogasa - Anthropology
Males of this ancient human cousin weren’t always bigger than females
Molecular evidence from a 2-million-year-old southern African hominid species indicates sex and genetic differences in P. robustus.
By Bruce Bower - Science & Society
Students’ mental health imperiled by $1 billion cuts to school funding
The Trump administration is cutting $1 billion in grants that support student mental health. That has educators worried.
By Sujata Gupta - Animals
Genetics might save the rare, elusive saola — if it’s not already extinct
A new genetic study could help saolas survive by enabling better searches through environmental DNA. But some experts fear they may be extinct already.
By Tom Metcalfe - Space
A passing star could fling Earth out of orbit
Simulations show that the star's tug could send Mercury, Venus or Mars crashing into Earth — or let Jupiter eject our world from the solar system.
By Ken Croswell - Health & Medicine
Personalized gene editing saved a baby, but the tech’s future is uncertain
The personalized CRISPR treatment could be the future of gene therapy, but hurdles remain before everyone has access.