All Stories
- Chemistry
Analyze This: Beauty products are big sources of urban air pollution
In cities, a larger share of urban air pollution comes from the use of bath products, cleansers and more than does the burning of fossil fuels.
- Chemistry
Nom, nom! These bacteria eat antibiotics for lunch
Some soil microbes don’t just break down antibiotics, they can eat them too. Scientists have found one way they do it.
- Chemistry
Ouch! Lemons and other plants can cause a special sunburn
These are among a host of plants (many found in the refrigerator vegetable drawer) that produce chemicals that will kill skin cells when activated by sunlight. The result can be a serious, localized sunburn — sometimes with blistering.
- Chemistry
Electronic noses might replace search-and-rescue dogs
A new type of sensor can sniff out scents that people emit. That might one day help rescuers find people buried under collapsed buildings.
- Health & Medicine
Scientists Say: Melatonin
Levels of this hormone rise at night when we are asleep and drop during the day. This helps to control when we sleep and wake up.
- Earth
Surprise! Fire can help some forests keep more of their water
In California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, a century of fire suppression has led to forests with too many trees. But areas thinned by fire now show one benefit: more water.
- Earth
Scientist tackles water pollution with epic swims
German chemist Andreas Fath swam the entire Tennessee River — in record time. The reason was not to win a place in the Guinness Book of Records. He wanted to raise awareness about water pollution.
- Tech
Getting road-trip ready, and no driver needed
Most self-driving cars are city drivers. This one’s made for the open road.
- Chemistry
Diamonds and more suggest unusual origins for asteroids
Inside a meteorite, scientists found sulfur and iron wrapped in tiny diamonds. Those gems hint the rock formed inside a long-lost planet.
- Math
Supreme Court shies away from test on the math of voting rights
Mathematicians are taking aim at gerrymandering — drawing election district maps that seek to benefit one party over another. The courts have become involved too.
- Animals
Deep-sea expedition led researchers to doomed octopus nursery
The ill-fated octopods may be a sign that a healthy population is hiding nearby.
- Animals
Scientists Say: Kakapo
This is a flightless parrot that lives in New Zealand. Unfortunately, there are only 154 of them left.
