Feature
- Paleontology
Saber-toothed cats were fierce and family-oriented
New details shift the debate on whether Smilodon lived and hunted in packs, and answer questions about other behaviors and abilities.
- Climate
What happens when the Bering Sea’s ice disappears?
Record-low sea ice in 2018 sent ripples through the Bering Sea’s entire ecosystem. Will this be the region’s new normal?
- Health & Medicine
Nanosponges sop up toxins and help repair tissues
Nanoparticles coated with blood cell membranes can move through the body to clean up toxins or heal tissues — without instigating an immune reaction.
- Chemistry
Extreme elements push the boundaries of the periodic table
The hunt for the next elements on the periodic table might turn up superheavy atoms that flaunt the rules of chemistry.
- Health & Medicine
With its burning grip, shingles can do lasting damage
Varicella zoster virus, which causes chickenpox and shingles, may instigate several other problems.
- Tech
Robots are becoming classroom tutors. But will they make the grade?
Educational robots show promise for helping kids in the classroom or at home, but researchers are still figuring out how these bots should behave.
- Health & Medicine
Brain-zapping implants that fight depression are inching closer to reality
Researchers are using electric jolts to correct the faulty brain activity that sparks depression.
- Earth
Five explosive things the 2018 eruption taught us about Kilauea
Kilauea’s 2018 eruption allowed volcanologists a clear window into the processes that have shaped and influenced the world’s most watched volcano.
- Health & Medicine
Vitamin D supplements aren’t living up to their hype
Once seen as a supplement with a long list of benefits, vitamin D’s glow may be dimming.
- Planetary Science
Two daring spacecraft aim to bring asteroid dust back to Earth
A pair of daredevil spacecraft that aim to bring asteroid dust back to Earth have reached their targets and are scouting for the best sampling spots.
- Chemistry
150 years on, the periodic table has more stories than it has elements
The organized rows and columns of the Periodic Table hide a rich and twisting history.
- Science & Society
Top 10 stories of 2018: Climate change, gene-edited babies, hidden craters and more
2018 was a year all about impact — on the planet, on solving crimes, on mosquito populations, on reversing paralysis, and more.
