All Stories
- Animals
Butts of these fly larvae mimic a termite’s face
Young blowflies found in Morocco look — and smell — like the termites they hide amongst. These tricks help the larvae survive amongst the killers.
- Microbes
Living lenses? Glass-coated microbes might take better photos
Bacteria with a gene from sea sponges can coat themselves in glass. Working as tiny, bendable lenses, they could lead to thinner cameras or sensors.
- Space
The universe: How will it end?
The Big Bang likely brought our universe into existence. What will mark its grand finale? Scientists blend imagination and data to make predictions.
- Health & Medicine
Scratching an itch has both good effects and bad
Mice that scratch itchy ears trigger more redness and swelling — but also may combat harmful bacteria.
- Physics
This weird ice may exist on alien planets
Scientists used high pressure and heat to create plastic ice, which has qualities of both ordinary ice and liquid water.
- Earth
Let’s learn about the carbon cycle
The total amount of carbon on Earth doesn’t change. But what form those carbon atoms take is constantly changing.
- Physics
Scientists Say: Lift
An airplane wing’s unique shape creates air pressure differences that result in this gravity-defying force.
- Health & Medicine
Explainer: What is asthma and how is it treated?
This chronic narrowing of lung airways can make it hard to breathe. Fortunately, drugs can widen those airways — even in people with severe asthma symptoms.
- Health & Medicine
Dad’s backyard lessons inspired this hearing scientist to learn
A. Catalina Vélez-Ortega researches how proteins can protect against hearing loss.
- Humans
Biological sex is more complex than just male or female
Trying to define sex with just two options fails to reflect the wide range of natural variation in human genetics, hormones and biology.
- Environment
More and more, microplastics are collecting in our brains
Over eight years, the mass of microplastics in human brains increased by some 50 percent. There are growing hints that internal microplastics may harm us.
- Brain
Brain scans may offer clues to the mental health of trans youth
A teen researcher identified a possible link between brain development and mental health in young trans people.
