Science Visualized
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Animals
See (and hear) the stunning diversity of bowhead whales’ songs
Bowhead whales display a huge range in their underwater melodies, but the drivers behind this diversity remain murky.
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Science & Society
Closing the gender gap in some science fields may take over 100 years
In some STEM fields, the gender gap won’t disappear for decades or even centuries, a new study suggests.
By Kyle Plantz -
Planetary Science
This spinning moon shows where debris from giant impacts fell
A new map shows that light-colored lunar plains point back to huge impact basins, raising questions about the age and history of the moon.
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Life
Meet the giants among viruses
For decades, all viruses were thought to be small and simple. But the discovery of more and more giant viruses shows that’s not the case.
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Earth
New mapping shows just how much fishing impacts the world’s seas
Industrial fishing now occurs across 55 percent of the world’s ocean area while only 34 percent of Earth’s land area is used for agriculture or grazing.
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Paleontology
This ancient creature looks like a spider with a tail
A newly discovered ancient creature looks like a spider and has silk spinners and spidery male sex organs.
By Susan Milius -
Life
Here’s how cells rapidly stuff two meters of DNA into microscopic capsules
Scientists have figured out how cells quickly pack up their chromosomes before a cell divides.
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Animals
Why some birds of paradise have ultrablack feathers
Birds of paradise have superblack feathers because of tilted, spiky microscopic features in their feathers.
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Physics
How freezing a soap bubble turns it into a ‘snow globe’
Frigid air makes soap bubbles shimmering orbs thanks to surface tension.
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Earth
Watch NASA’s mesmerizing new visualization of the 2017 hurricane season
Swirls of sand, sea salt and smoke make atmospheric currents visible in a new NASA visualization.
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Animals
Fluorescence could help diagnose sick corals
Diseased corals fluoresce less than healthy corals, and a new analysis technique can help spot the reduced glow.
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Neuroscience
See these first-of-a-kind views of living human nerve cells
A catalog of live brain cells reveals stunning diversity and intricate shapes, and may help scientists understand the abilities of the human brain.