All Stories
- Earth
Scientists Say: Caldera
These gigantic craters form when a volcanic eruption empties magma chambers underneath, allowing the mountain to crumble into the void.
- Plants
Magnets mimic gravity’s guiding hand for plants growing in space
Without constant gravity, plants waste energy twisting and coiling, trying to reach toward the sun. Teen ISEF finalists might have found a solution.
- Space
A nearby star system is likely sending lots of comets our way
This Alpha Centauri system loses comets and dust particles, but it produces only about 10 of the several trillion meteors that Earth sees each year.
- Health & Medicine
Two cities stopped water fluoridation. Kids’ teeth suffered
As calls to end fluoride in water get louder, worsening dental health in children of Calgary, Canada, and Juneau, Alaska, offer a cautionary tale.
- Brain
Brain cells that make you feel full also make you crave dessert
If you want a sweet treat when you feel full after a big meal, blame your brain. Tests in mice and people suggest that the same cells signal satiety and a hunger for sugar.
- Chemistry
Experiment: Blow the best homemade bubbles
What’s the best recipe for blowing the most impressive bubbles? Let’s find out.
- Health & Medicine
Let’s learn about vaccines
These medical treatments have saved millions of lives and spared many others from seriously unpleasant infections.
- Animals
Sheep, llamas and goats fall for optical illusions too
These findings could help reveal when and why falling for optical illusions evolved in animals.
- Brain
Parakeets talk using brain areas similar to ours
Brain activity during vocalizing in small parrots — called budgerigars or parakeets — shows a similar pattern to what’s seen in people.
- Materials Science
This electric ‘slime’ might help injuries heal faster
Our bodies call in healing cells with an electrical signal. When stretched or squeezed, this gel makes electricity that could boost that alert.
- Animals
Freshwater fish are in trouble: Here’s how we can help them
Human activities threaten the survival of many freshwater fish species. Research is now pointing to how we can best overcome those threats.
- Chemistry
A new map of Africa sheds light on the origins of enslaved people
Mapping the element strontium across the continent is helping track down the birthplaces of enslaved Africans brought to the Americas.
