All Stories
- Science & Society
Understanding algorithms — and how to make them work for you
They’re the recipes behind everything from cooking to social media feeds. Learn how algorithms work to avoid their pitfalls. You can even make your own.
- Science & Society
How ‘nutritious’ is the diet that social media feeds us?
Algorithms feed us what they’ve decided we will probably like. The problem: This often proves a truly unhealthy diet for our minds.
- Space
Astronauts are flying to the moon aboard Artemis II
This first human trip to the moon in more than 50 years will take four astronauts farther than anyone has gone before.
- Fossils
Fossil vomit shows what one 290-million-year-old predator dined on
Bones in the barfed-up material, which dates to a time before the dinosaurs, offer a rare peek into the diet of a prehistoric hunter.
- Oceans
Experiment: Build your own beach!
Summer is a time for sun and sand. If you live inland, build your own mini beach in this science experiment.
- Space
Supermassive black holes might trace back to huge, ancient stars
Hefty stars might have collapsed into “intermediate mass” black holes — the building blocks of supermassive ones, a teen’s research suggests.
- Physics
Physics explains why sneakers squeak on the basketball court
We’re hearing a shoe’s sole wrinkling in bursts that repeat thousands of times each second.
- Physics
Scientists Say: Discharge
In physics, this release of energy can rebalance electrical charges. In biology, such a release might cool you down on a hot day.
- Physics
Could a Star Wars lightsaber work?
The main problem with real-world lightsabers is that they would pass through each other. This means no intergalactic duels between Jedis and Siths.
- Microbes
Analyze This: Which cells are the speediest?
The cellular Olympics would be an amazing spectacle. Some cells move at mind-boggling speeds by jumping, gliding, swimming, expanding or shrinking.
- Climate
Rockin’ farm fields suck up tons of CO2
Called enhanced rock weathering, spreading crushed basalt on crop lands can deliver farmers yet another bonus: bigger harvests.
- Animals
Intricate silk helps net-casting spiders trap prey in webs
Rufous net-casting spiders can adjust the stiffness and stretchiness of their webs thanks to looping strands of silk.
