All Stories

Animals

Wayward baby puffins get help from a community-led Puffling Patrol

Fitted with ID tags or tracking devices, birds from one Iceland colony give scientists an eye into puffins’ largely unknown lives at sea.

Artificial Intelligence

Google now adds watermarks to all its AI-generated content

Google’s AI-created content now hosts an invisible “signature.” A mathematical key can reveal the presence of this digital watermark, called SynthID.

Materials Science

Experiment: The surprising strength of eggshells

Architecture is full of arched doors, windows and other structures. But how strong is the natural arch of eggshells?

Animals

Putting vampire bats on treadmills revealed an energy-burning quirk

A mini gym for bats shows that vampire bats burn amino acids, rather than the carbs or fats other mammals rely on during exercise.

Life

Scientists Say: Organoid

Lab-grown organ models mimic the functions of real organs and may open doors to a future of personalized medical care.

Climate

Trees may be even bigger climate heroes than we thought

These plants absorb methane, a potent greenhouse gas, in addition to carbon dioxide. Methane’s uptake is likely thanks to microbes living in tree bark.

Animals

These healthy fish have bacteria in their brains

The bodies of most animals keep germs, usually linked to disease, out of their brains. But some fish that host microbes seem to do just fine.

Fossils

50 years on, Lucy offers lessons for achieving fossil fame

Since the discovery of Lucy's skeleton in 1974, a catchy name and ongoing scientific debates have kept this human ancestor in the spotlight.

Microbes

Under the microscope, this biologist sees a tiny jungle

Sally Warring has long been captivated by the beauty of mostly single-celled life forms called protists.

Space

Let’s learn about supernovas

Supernovas are spectacular stellar explosions that sprinkle heavy elements throughout the universe.

Chemistry

Teen chemist uncovers potentially harmful preservatives in pet food

Thermo Fisher JIC finalist Mackensey Wilson measured levels of a chemical called BHT in three pet food brands.

Earth

Scientists Say: Sundog

A sundog appears in the sky when sunlight shines through tiny ice crystals suspended in the air.