News
- Quantum Physics
Photons on roundabout route could get caught in action
Proposed twist on classic double-slit experiment could identify light that weaves in and out.
By Andrew Grant - Physics
Signal of elusive Majorana particle emerges in a nanowire
New evidence supports existence of exotic Majorana particle — a particle that is its own antiparticle.
By Andrew Grant - Animals
Invasive rabbitfish team up to raze algal forests
Tropical rabbitfish have expanded into temperate Mediterranean waters, where they destroy algae forests by gobbling both young and adult algae.
- Oceans
Satellites expose mysteries of the deep ocean
New detailed map of Earth’s seafloor reveals never-before-seen formations.
- Neuroscience
High blood sugar could worsen effects of spinal injury
Studies in people and mice suggest reining in blood sugar can improve recovery from a spinal cord injury.
By Nathan Seppa - Animals
Monarch butterflies’ ancestors migrated
The earliest monarch butterflies originated in North America and were migratory. Some of the insects later lost that ability as they moved into the tropics, a genetic analysis finds.
- Animals
Baby fish are noisier than expected
Gray snapper larvae may be able to communicate in open water using tiny knocks and growls.
By Susan Milius - Climate
Missing winds probably foiled 2014’s chance for El Niño
Lack of antitrade winds probably hampered 2014 El Niño.
- Climate
19th century chronicles offer clues to mystery volcano
Meteorological records narrow down the time and place of a massive volcanic eruption that helped trigger a decade of extreme cold.
By Beth Mole - Chemistry
Interstellar chemical resembles building blocks of life
A molecule detected in the space between stars resembles amino acids, suggesting those building blocks of life share a similar origin.
By Beth Mole - Archaeology
Ancient stone-tool making method arose multiple times
Hominids in both Africa and Eurasia independently invented a flake-tool technique hundreds of thousands of years ago, countering a long-held idea in archaeology.
By Meghan Rosen - Neuroscience
Mighty muscles may stave off depression
Strong muscles protect the brain from stress-induced toxin associated with depression, a study in mice suggests.