All Stories
- Archaeology
Let’s learn about radiocarbon dating
Through the power of radioactivity, carbon dating can reveal the age of many fossils and artifacts.
- Ecosystems
Analyze This: In movies, wetlands often get a bad rap
Swamps in films are often linked to danger, death and strange things. But movies also highlight wetlands’ biodiversity and resources.
- Planets
Scientists Say: Regolith
This sandlike dust blankets planets, asteroids and other rocky surfaces of our solar system, including our own planet.
- Space
This zombie star’s spiky filaments are baffling astronomers
The star's odd tendrils were somehow formed by a supernova that skywatchers saw way back in 1181.
- Brain
A single sniff is enough to detect slight odor changes
The speed of our ability to perceive odors is on par with that of color perception, a new sniff device shows.
- Ecosystems
There’s life beneath the snow — but it’s at risk of melting away
The organisms that make winter homes in this subnivium help forests thrive year-round. But climate change is making this ecosystem disappear.
- Plants
Plant and fungi parts help robots level up
Fusing machines with plants and fungi isn’t just sci-fi. A new generation of biohybrid devices could someday help in agriculture or energy production.
- Health & Medicine
U.S. teen tobacco use has hit a record low
In 2024, tobacco use among middle- and high-school students reached a record low. But new vapes and nicotine-based products keep coming.
- Brain
Scientists Say: Aphantasia
Not everyone has a “mind’s eye,” and that’s OK. Some people recall memories and process information in different ways altogether.
- Computing
Explainer: What is the internet?
The internet is a massive structure made up of cables, routers, exchange points, data centers, cell towers, antennas and more. All sorts of devices share data using this network.
- Brain
Ouch! The pain of pulled hair registers superfast
A hair pull is detected by a protein used to sense light touches. It also travels faster than most other types of pain.
- Climate
Why is Los Angeles on fire?
High heat and little rain have extended wildfire season to year-round in some parts of California. Fast winds and dry conditions are fueling L.A.’s current infernos.
