News
- Chemistry
Molecular muscle gets the job done
Chemists solve a stubborn problem by resorting to strong-arm tactics.
- Life
Dinosaur-era feathers sealed in amber
The richest collection yet of primordial plumage preserves pigment and fine details found modern birds.
By Susan Milius - Earth
Summer Arctic melt among worst ever
With no obvious weather pattern to explain this year’s near-record annual ice retreat, generally warming climate appears to be the culprit.
- Oceans
Synthetic lint ends up in oceans
Microplastics from clothes and other consumer products evade sewage treatment and end up on beaches, studies find.
By Janet Raloff - Life
A new way to breach the blood-brain barrier
Researchers working with rodents have found a drug that can temporarily open a door for treatments.
- Space
Planet search finds lots of little guys
The latest collection of extrasolar bodies to be revealed is rich in worlds not much bigger than Earth.
By Nadia Drake - Earth
Nature’s crystal palace
Slow-growing crystals formed over thousands of years in Mexico cave.
By Devin Powell - Space
Hints of dark matter reported, again
European experiment sees some evidence for a heretofore unseen component of the universe.
By Devin Powell - Life
Cats engineered for disease resistance
Genetically modified felines created in an effort to fight feline immunodeficiency virus.
- Life
Thirsty frogs make do with dew
An Australian species exploits condensation to get a drink by chilling down outside and then hopping into its warm, humid lair.
By Susan Milius - Space
Super-Earths may come in two flavors
As more exoplanets are discovered, evidence emerges that worlds can be either fluffy or dense.
By Nadia Drake - Humans
Fossil finds offer close look at a contested ancestor
Nearly 2 million-year-old fossils offer glimpses of a species that may, or may not, have been crucial for human evolution.
By Bruce Bower