All Stories
- Fossils
Predatory dinos were truly big-mouths
Large meat-eating dinosaurs could open their mouths wide to grab big prey. Vegetarians would have had a more limited gape, a new study suggests.
- Climate
Concerns about Earth’s fever
Burning fossil fuels is causing the planet to heat up, causing weather patterns to change, sea levels to rise and diseases to spread.
- Climate
Explainer: How scientists know Earth is warming
Scientists can calculate global temperatures, both present and past. Their findings show that the planet is rapidly heating up.
- Chemistry
Some 3-D printing can leave toxic taint
The ”ink” inside some 3-D printers can leave toxic traces. In tests, these chemicals harmed baby fish. But lighting could render the parts safer.
- Chemistry
Scientists Say: Osmosis
When two solutions are separated by a membrane where only the liquid can cross, the liquid will move from the side with a low concentration of dissolved materials to the side with a higher concentration. This movement has a special name.
- Animals
Profile: A human touch for animals
Temple Grandin uses her own autism to understand how animals think. The animal scientist is famous for fostering the humane treatment of livestock.
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Flaming rainbows: Pretty, but dangerous
Students love to see colorful fires in chemistry class. But a popular flaming-salts demo has resulted in some horrible injuries. Several groups warn of its dangers and propose a far safer version.
- Health & Medicine
Study equates sleepless nights with high-fat diet
Getting too little sleep has the same effect on blood sugar as eating high-fat foods, a study in dogs finds. This may set the body up for diabetes.
- Microbes
Fossils show sign of ancient vampire microbes
Scientists have found 750-million-year-old fossils of cells with puncture wounds. This appears to offer evidence that vampirelike creatures sucked them dry.
- Animals
Taking attendance with eDNA
Environmental DNA, or eDNA, tells biologists what species are in an area — even when they’re out of sight.
- Animals
Wildlife forensics turns to eDNA
Environmental DNA, or eDNA, tells biologists what species have been around — even when they’re out of sight or have temporarily moved on.
- Animals
Kangaroo farts: Not so ‘green’ after all?
Scientists had thought that kangaroo farts were environmentally friendly because they had little methane. That may not always be true.
