All Stories
- Animals
Hummingbird tongues may be tiny pumps
Scientists had thought that hummingbird tongues work through capillary action. A new study, though, concludes they work like little pumps.
- Agriculture
‘Wildlife-free’ farms don’t make salads safer
Scientists find that removing wildlife from farms did not make raw vegetables safer to eat.
- Health & Medicine
Scientists Say: Virulence
The virulence of a germ is a measure of its potential to cause disease.
- Earth
Quake provides test for tsunami prediction
The 8.3-magnitude Chilean earthquake offered an unexpected chance to test a new way of predicting tsunami damage.
- Earth
Explainer: What is a tsunami?
Earthquakes and landslides can create huge waves that travel across oceans.
- Agriculture
Made in the shade
Agroforestry combines woody plants and agriculture. Growing trees alongside crops and livestock benefits wildlife, environment, climate — and farmers.
- Brain
Childhood stress can leave changes in the adult brain
A new study finds that young men who had experienced lots of stress early in life carried a lasting legacy — changes in the size and shape of their brains.
- Health & Medicine
New treatments may rally ex-president’s fight against cancer
Former President Jimmy Carter has a potentially lethal type of skin cancer that has already spread to his liver and brain. Recent improvements in medicine may help him fight it.
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The Mentos geyser: From demo to real science
It’s fun to make geysers with candy and soda. But it’s not an experiment. Here’s how to make it one.
- Agriculture
Insecticide can change a spider’s personality
A chemical meant to kill moths affects the behavior of some spiders. It alters the spiders’ ability to capture prey — including those moths.
- Animals
Some pollutants made mice less friendly
Hormone-interfering chemicals make mice less social and may also alter their weight, a study finds. That affected the animals’ confidence — and behavior.
- Physics
Scientists Say: Quantum
Quantum seems like a very complex word. But really, it’s a term used for something very, very small.
