Feature
- Earth
What the Pliocene epoch can teach us about future warming on Earth
By simulating the changes that occurred during the warm Pliocene epoch, researchers are trying to predict Earth’s future hundreds of years from now.
- Archaeology
How Asian nomadic herders built new Bronze Age cultures
Ancient steppe herders traveled into Europe and Asia, leaving their molecular mark and building Bronze Age cultures.
- Cosmology
Simulating the universe using Einstein’s theory of gravity may solve cosmic puzzles
Better simulating the dense parts of the universe could improve scientists’ view of how the universe evolves.
- Life
Hybrids reveal the barriers to successful mating between species
Scientists don’t understand the process of speciation, but hybrids can reveal the genes that keep species apart.
- Animals
Scary as they are, few vampires have a backbone
Researchers speculate on why there are so few vampires among vertebrates.
- Animals
Being a vampire can be brutal. Here’s how bloodsuckers get by.
Blood-sucking animals have specialized physiology and other tools to live on a diet rich in protein and lacking in some nutrients.
- Health & Medicine
A universal flu shot may be nearing reality
Scientists are developing a universal vaccine against flu, making annual shots a thing of the past.
- Science & Society
The SN 10: Meet the scientists ready to transform their fields
In this year’s SN 10, meet early- and mid-career research stars who are coming up with and testing new ideas in astronomy, archaeology, artificial intelligence and more.
- Plants
José Dinneny rethinks how plants hunt for water
Plant biologist José Dinneny probes the very beginnings of root development, which may have important implications for growing food in a changing climate.
- Physics
Jennifer Dionne harnesses light to illuminate nano landscapes
Nanophotonics research by materials scientist Jennifer Dionne could lead to improved drugs, cancer tests or invisibility cloaks.
- Computing
M. Ehsan Hoque develops digital helpers that teach social skills
Computer scientist M. Ehsan Hoque programs emotionally attuned assistants that bring people together.
- Life
KC Huang probes basic questions of bacterial life
A physicist by training, Kerwyn Casey Huang tries to understand cell shape, movement and growth.
