All Stories

  1. Climate

    Cosmic rays offer clues about lightning

    Space particles called cosmic rays pelt Earth. Scientists are using the rain of these particles to probe how lightning forms.

    By
  2. Health & Medicine

    Injected nanoparticles treat internal wounds

    Soldiers wounded in a bombing could be treated with a shot of specially designed nanoparticles that stop bleeding and inflammation in the lungs.

    By
  3. Environment

    Scientists Say: Fracking

    Liquid fuel sources such as natural gas and petroleum form deep underground between layers of rock. To retrieve them, engineers often use a technique called hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.

    By
  4. Fossils

    Ritual cannibalism occurred in Stone Age England

    Stone Age human bones from a cave in England show signs of cannibalism. The people had been eaten during burial rituals nearly 15,000 years ago, experts say.

    By
  5. Archaeology

    Laser vision reveals hidden worlds

    From discovering ancient ruins to forecasting climate change, the laser mapping technology called lidar is changing many fields of science.

    By
  6. Tech

    Explainer: What are lidar, radar and sonar?

    Radar, sonar and lidar and are three similar technologies. Each relies on the echoing of waves — radio, sound or light waves — to detect objects.

    By
  7. Get fascinated by the disgusting with “Gross Science”

    A new YouTube series uses some of nature’s most repulsive lifeforms to get people interested in science.

    By
  8. Brain

    Twisters: Can warning people too early backfire?

    If people think they have enough time to flee a tornado, they may try to drive away, information shows. This could leave them stuck in traffic — with no protection — when the storm does show up.

    By
  9. Earth

    Nepal earthquake offers hints of worse to come

    The magnitude 7.8 earthquake that crumbled much of Nepal’s capital city could be overshadowed by larger future earthquakes along the Himalayas, scientists say.

    By
  10. Fossils

    ‘Frankenstein’ dino showed a mashup of traits

    New species unearthed in Chile is “an anatomical Frankenstein,” declares one of its discoverers.

    By
  11. Chemistry

    How sweat might make you smell sweeter

    A new scent-delivery system ensures that the more you sweat, the more perfume it releases. In fact, it only works in contact with moisture.

    By
  12. Space

    Scientists Say: Gravitational lens

    A gravitational lens is an effect that occurs when a massive object lies between a viewer and something further away. The massive object’s gravity bends light arriving from the more distant object.

    By