All Stories
- Health & Medicine
The five-second rule: Growing germs for science
Is it true that food dropped on the floor and picked up after five seconds is clean? To find out, we’re building an incubator and allowing any hitchhiking germs to grow.
- Health & Medicine
The five-second rule: Myth busted?
We’ve done an experiment to test the five-second rule. Now it’s time to analyze the data. Be forewarned: They’re not appetizing.
- Health & Medicine
The five-second rule: Microbes can’t count
A good scientific study compares results to what other scientists have done. These scientists have all debunked the five-second rule.
- Animals
Poop-eating gulls can be pain in the butt for seal pups
The birds can harm baby fur seals as they try to dine on fresh parasites in the pups’ feces.
- Brain
Brains may need flexible networks to learn well
New data suggest that brain cells may learn best when they are able to easily make and break off communications with neighbors — or distant brain regions.
- Animals
Three simple rules guide fire ants in building towers
Fire ants build towers of ants to protect themselves during a flood. New research reveals the simple rules that guide how they do this, no foreman needed.
- Chemistry
Scientists Say: Capsaicin
This chemical is produced by pepper plants and gives them their hot flavor.
- Chemistry
Recycling urine may be a way to boost plant growth
A new chemical method makes nutrient-rich fertilizers from human urine.
- Animals
As trees come down, some hidden homes are disappearing
Animals such as frogs, toucans and possums live in tree hollows. But as people have cut down trees, a wildlife housing shortage has developed in some places.
- Climate
Picturing how many Great Salt Lakes Harvey dropped onto Texas
Harvey’s astounding rainfall shattered records. The numbers are so high that it can be tough to picture what they mean. Here we give it a try.
- Chemistry
Meet the world’s smallest monster trucks
These DNA-scale nano-vehicles surprised chemists. The bonds that hold their atomic building blocks in place grip the wheels more strongly than anyone had expected.
- Animals
Camo might have helped this armored dinosaur avoid becoming lunch
An armored dinosaur the size of a Japanese sedan also wore camouflage, a new analysis of its skin suggests.
