Physics
Pickles glow when you plug them in. Science explains why
A scientist, a jar of pickles and a power strip walk into a room. The punchline involves physics, glowing condiments and a scientific party trick.
All Topics
Chemistry
Earth
Environment
A fire’s rumble reveals where it’s burning
Researchers tracked a prescribed grassland fire using infrasound, sound waves pitched too low for people to hear.
Humans
Health & Medicine
To detect CTE while alive, a test for another brain disease may help
A protein that is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease may also ID a brain condition associated with head trauma in contact sports, early findings suggest.
Life
Animals
A new monkey species has been found deep in Congo’s forests
A canopy call, a partial photo and DNA revealed a new primate species — one that may already be at risk of extinction.
Math
Climate
A new map traces the sky’s water highways
Atmospheric rivers bring heavy rain and floods, but if they don’t come around, it could mean drought. A new global map reveals little-known pathways.
Physics
Space
A shoebox-sized satellite could expose hidden nuclear weapons in space
There’s never been a good method to check for violations of the Outer Space Treaty’s prohibition of nuclear weapons in space.
Science & Society
Health & Medicine
The protein craze may not be for everyone
Getting more protein has been all the rage. In sedentary people, that advice could accelerate aging.
Space
Astronomy
New images reveal Betelgeuse’s buddy star
A century of hints has suggested the famed red supergiant had a star pal but seeing it amid Betelgeuse’s brightness has been hard — until now.
Tech
Artificial Intelligence
Struggling with a hard life choice? AI future selves have tips
A chat with aged avatars of future selves can guide people paralyzed by tough decisions. The question is what information to feed the bots.
