All Stories
- Climate
2015 was really hot
Spurred by global warming and a “super” strong El Niño, 2015 went into the books as the warmest year since record-keeping began — and that was 1880.
- Genetics
Behavior of genes could identify type of infection
The behavior of hundreds of genes can identify a viral infection, a new study finds. That could help doctors determine treatment for a sick patient.
- Animals
Seals: Catching a ‘corkscrew’ killer
Spiral wounds on dead seals led experts to blame boat propellers. But cameras exposed another source: One seal species was killing another.
- Space
An alarm system for Earth crashers
The ATLAS telescope could be a last-minute warning system for asteroids just days away from hitting Earth.
- Chemistry
Scientists Say: Base
Bases are chemicals that contain negatively charged chemical groups made from oxygen and hydrogen. They lend coffee its bitter flavor and have pH rankings higher than 7.0.
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How kids ‘see’ scientists depends on what they read
When students draw a scientist, they rely on messages from textbooks and other media. Now do your own version of the experiment and see if your results match.
- Health & Medicine
Cool Jobs: Researchers on the run
Researchers are taking running to extremes, from Olympic lizards to treadmills in space. The goal is to learn how athletes of all kinds can stay healthier.
- Health & Medicine
FDA wants to ban indoor tanning by teens
Because tanning beds can increase the risk of skin cancer, the FDA has proposed banning their use in the United States by anyone under 18.
- Animals
What a drag! Fishing gear’s effects on whales
Many whales become entangled in the gear that fishing boats use to catch fish and shellfish. Such debris can have dire impacts on the big mammals.
- Health & Medicine
Too many football hits can change the brain
A former football player who died in his mid-20s had serious Alzheimer's-like damage that doctors are now linking to repeated concussions.
- Space
New recipe for monster black holes
The conventional idea for how black holes form would not easily allow for huge ones to develop in the early universe. Yet they did. Now a scientist offers a new view: galaxy mash-ups!
- Chemistry
Scientists Say: Acid
When a chemical tastes sour, ranks below 7.0 on the pH scale and has many hydrogen ions in its solution, it gets a special name.
