News

Climate

Rising CO₂ levels might not be as good for plants as we thought

A 20-year experiment spots a reversal in the way two kinds of plants take up extra carbon from the atmosphere.

Planetary Science

This meteorite’s diamonds hint that it was born in a lost planet

Bits of metal nestled inside diamonds suggest the space rock could have formed in a Mars-sized protoplanet in the early solar system.

Tech

Why touch can be such a creepy sensation in VR

Touch sensation in VR can go from immersive to unnerving as the feeling gets more realistic, if you can’t see the source.

Oceans

Masses of shrimp and krill may play a huge role in mixing oceans

Hoards of migrating shrimp and krill can cause large-scale turbulence in the ocean, a new study suggests.

Animals

These seals haven’t lost their land ancestors’ hunting ways

Clawed pawlike forelimbs help true seals hunt like their land-dwelling ancestors.

Archaeology

This ancient Maya city may have helped the Snake King dynasty spread

A rural hub in an ancient Maya state gets its due with some laser help.

Science & Society

Here’s why putting a missile defense system in space could be a bad idea

Expanding missile defense capabilities could put the world on a slippery slope to space warfare.

Archaeology

Dogs lived and died with humans 10,000 years ago in the Americas

Dogs unearthed at sites in Illinois were older than originally thought.

Space

Lasers squeezed iron to mimic the conditions of exoplanet cores

In the first experiment to measure what exoplanets might be like on the inside, scientists hit iron with 176 lasers at once.

Tech

The Facebook data debacle may not change internet behavior

In the wake of the Facebook data breach, personal privacy experts say there’s little individuals can do to control their personal information online.

Climate

Cargo ships must cut their emissions in half by 2050

A new international agreement places a cap on greenhouse gas emissions from international cargo ships.

Archaeology

Tales of rampant suicide among Custer’s soldiers may be overblown

Few of Custer’s men killed themselves in the face of overwhelming Native American numbers at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, skeletal data suggest.