Ecosystems
‘Crossings’ explores the science of road ecology
Ben Goldfarb talks about his new book, which looks at the science that’s helping to prevent animals from becoming roadkill.
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Cover Story
Here’s what lucid dreamers might tell us about our sleeping minds
Lucid dreaming could prove to be a powerful tool for probing dreams, one of the most universal yet elusive human experiences.
Reviews & Previews
Science Visualized
Health & Medicine
With a new body mapping technique, mouse innards glow with exquisite detail
Removing cholesterol from mouse bodies lets fluorescently labeled proteins infiltrate every tissue, helping researchers to map entire body systems.
Notebook
Animals
Some African birds follow nomadic ants to their next meal
Specialized interactions between birds and driver ants in Africa could help explain why the birds are especially sensitive to forest disturbances.
Features
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How one device could help transform our power grid
As coal-fired power plants are retired, grid-forming inverters may be key to a future that relies on solar and wind power.
More Stories from the August 26, 2023 issue
- Health & Medicine
Climate change puts children’s health at risk now and in the future
Heat waves, wildfires and other climate-related effects on the environment are particularly hard on children’s physical and mental health.
- Materials Science
This ‘thermal cloak’ keeps spaces from getting either too hot or cold
A new thermal fabric prototype could help keep cars, buildings and other spaces a comfortable temperature during heat waves while reducing CO₂ emissions.
- Planetary Science
A rain of electrons causes Mercury’s X-ray auroras
The first direct measurement of electrons raining down on Mercury suggests this particle precipitation causes most auroras in the solar system.
- Planetary Science
NASA’s DART mission lofted a swarm of boulders into space
Hubble telescope images of the asteroid Dimorphos reveal a halo of 37 dim, newfound objects — most likely boulders shaken loose from the surface.
- Health & Medicine
Many sports supplements have no trace of their key ingredients
A chemical analysis of 57 supplements found that 40 percent had undetectable amounts of key ingredients. Only 11 percent had accurate amounts.
- Climate
Cow poop emits climate-warming methane. Adding red algae may help
Adding a type of methane-inhibiting red algae directly to cow feces cut down methane emission from the poop by about 44 percent, researchers report.
- Math
How geometry solves architectural problems for bees and wasps
Adding five - and seven - sided cells in pairs during nest building helps the colonyfit together differently sized hexa gonal cells , a new study shows.
- Archaeology
The oldest known horseback riding saddle was found in a grave in China
The well-used saddle, dated to more than 2,400 years ago, displays skilled leather- and needlework. Its placement suggests its owner was on a final ride.
- Environment
The most intense sunlight on Earth can be found in the Atacama Desert
On the Chilean Altiplano plateau, every square meter of the ground receives, on average, more solar power than Mount Everest and occasionally almost as much as Venus.
- Animals
The newfound Los Angeles thread millipede is ready for its close-up
Found in Southern California, Illacme socal is the third of its genus found in North America, with the rest of its relatives scattered around the world.
- Chemistry
How Benjamin Franklin fought money counterfeiters
Researchers are confirming some of the techniques that Benjamin Franklin and his associates used to help early American paper currency succeed.
