All Stories
- Earth
Antibiotics pollute many of the world’s rivers
A survey of 165 rivers finds unsafe levels of antibiotics at one in six sites tested. Such pollution can leave germs resistant (unharmed) by the drugs.
- Health & Medicine
Fighting spider-fear with a little Spider-Man
Many people are afraid of spiders or ants. Watching a movie clip with the critters in it might help make people more comfortable with them, a new study shows.
- Climate
Scientists Say: Eyewall
The calm center of a hurricane or other tropical cyclone is called the eye. But the worst winds and rain are around it, in the eyewall.
- Earth
‘Biodegradable’ plastic bags often don’t break down
Biodegradable plastic bags are supposed to break down more quickly than ordinary plastics. But that may not happen, a study finds.
- Physics
Fireworks shower the skies with science
Filling the night sky with fireworks requires the help of chemists, electrical engineers and people who can choreograph theatrical shows.
- Climate
Holiday fireworks can bring extreme pollution, India finds
Fireworks bring sparkle and zing to a celebration, but they also can have a dark side — unhealthy levels of air pollution.
- Science & Society
The U.S. prison system can harm young brains, scientist warns
The U.S. justice system holds teens to adult standards. And that can harm a teen’s developing brain, one researcher now argues.
- Physics
Black holes might have a temperature
Physicists made a mock black hole in their lab. They used it to show the real, celestial black holes have a slight temperature.
- Earth
Trees may become the key to ‘greener’ foam products
Scientists have made an environmentally friendly alternative to plastic-based foams to help keep things cool.
- Chemistry
Scientists Say: Ferrofluid
Ferrofluids are liquids with tiny magnetic particles in them. These liquids respond to magnets.
- Life
Teens swipe a door handle and find an antibiotic
Three teens swabbed a smartphone, a door handle and a hand dryer. The new bacterium they turned up can kill other types of germs.
- Climate
Space weather forecast: Big storms ahead
Scientists studying blobs of energetic particles shot from the sun may help us prepare for stormy consequences on Earth.
