Video

Sign up for our newsletter

We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Astronomy

    The first picture of a black hole opens a new era of astrophysics

    Astronomers used a network of telescopes around the world to take a picture of the supermassive black hole in the galaxy M87.

    By and
  2. Animals

    Tiny pumpkin toadlets have glowing bony plates on their backs

    Pumpkin toadlets are the first frogs found to have fluorescent bony plates that are visible through their skin under ultraviolet light.

    By
  3. Astronomy

    4 things we’ll learn from the first closeup image of a black hole

    Scientists are gearing up to release the first image of the black hole at the center of the galaxy. Here’s what they hope to find out.

    By
  4. Neuroscience

    People can sense Earth’s magnetic field, brain waves suggest

    An analysis of brain waves offers new evidence that people subconsciously process information about the planet’s magnetism.

    By
  5. Life

    Some shrimp make plasma with their claws. Now a 3-D printed claw can too

    Scientists used a replica of a shrimp claw to re-create the extreme pressures and temperatures that the animals produce underwater.

    By
  6. Tech

    An origami design helps this robot lift delicate and heavy cargo

    Fragile items, such as soft fruits, as well as heavier goods are in safe hands with a new robotic gripper.

    By
  7. Physics

    How droplets of oil or water can glow vibrant colors

    Viewed from various angles, tiny droplets of water or oil glow different colors under white light.

    By
  8. Physics

    Microwaved grapes make fireballs, and scientists now know why

    Electromagnetic waves bounce back and forth inside a grape, creating plasma.

    By
  9. Astronomy

    Merging magnetic blobs fuel the sun’s huge plasma eruptions

    Solar eruptions called coronal mass ejections grow from a series of smaller events, observations show.

    By
  10. Life

    Human encroachment threatens chimpanzee culture

    Human activity is affecting chimps’ behavioral repertoire, a new study suggests. Creating chimp cultural heritage sites might save unique behaviors.

    By
  11. Neuroscience

    How singing mice belt out duets

    A precise timing system in the brain helps musical rodents from the cloud forests of Costa Rica sing to one another.

    By
  12. Animals

    What spiders eating weird stuff tell us about complex Amazon food webs

    By documenting rare events of invertebrates eating small vertebrates, scientists are shedding new light on the Amazon rainforest’s intricate ecosystem.

    By