Humans
The longest Dead Sea Scroll sports a salt finish that the others lack
A newly discovered salty lamination on the Temple Scroll could help explain why the ancient manuscript’s parchment is remarkably bright.
All Topics
Chemistry
Earth
Climate
Expanding ice slabs are increasing Greenland’s contribution to sea level rise
Since 2001, melting and refreezing have created vast ice layers near the surface that could drastically amp up meltwater runoff and sea level rise.
Humans
Humans
Alcohol-producing bacteria could cause liver disease in some people
A majority of patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease also had gut bacteria churning out medium to high levels of ethanol.
Life
Plants
Why tumbleweeds may be more science fiction than Old West
A tumbleweed is just a maternal plant corpse giving her living seeds a chance at a good life somewhere new.
Math
Math
A new book shows how not to fall for dubious statistics
Skipped statistics in school and wonder what you missed? David Spiegelhalter’s ‘The Art of Statistics’ has got you covered.
Physics
Physics
CO2 from champagne bottles can form shock waves like those seen in rocket exhaust
Popping a bottle of bubbly releases a plume of dry ice that bears a visible type of shock wave called a Mach disk.
Science & Society
Science & Society
How circling the globe has evolved in the 500 years since Magellan’s famous trip
Humankind has found new and improved ways to circle the globe in the five centuries since Magellan set sail.
Space
Planetary Science
India’s first attempt to land on the moon appears to have failed
Indian scientists haven’t heard from the Vikram lander for a full lunar day, after they lost contact during the robotic spacecraft’s descent.
Tech
Tech
This device harnesses the cold night sky to generate electricity in the dark
A new thermoelectric generator uses the temperature difference between Earth and outer space to create electricity after the sun goes down.
