All Stories
- Planets
Here are 5 exoplanet mysteries the James Webb telescope could help solve
This space telescope could reveal much about the formation, makeup and evolution of distant exoplanets.
- Plants
Many flowers and ferns lure in ants as bodyguards
With an offer of a nectar meal, ferns and flowering plants have been bribing ants to fend off predatory insects — since before the rise of T. rex.
- Tech
Robotics might someday give us an extra hand
We could control a bonus limb with the movements of our diaphragm.
- Chemistry
The periodic table might soon have a new element
A new technique could be used to make the undiscovered element 120.
- Genetics
Scientists Say: Telomere
These protective caps at the ends of chromosomes play a key role in cell replication.
- Space
A cosmic explosion this summer may add a ‘new star‘ to the night sky
Some 3,000 light-years away, this white dwarf undergoes a nova eruption every 80 years or so — throwing off light that can be seen with the unaided eye.
- Earth
Superman’s kryptonite doesn’t have a true equal on Earth
Though not quite kryptonite, some Earth minerals can glow under ultraviolet light. Excited electrons cause these real-life power stones to light up.
- Animals
A childhood dog inspired this veterinarian to help others
Sunday Agbonika runs the organization Dogalov, which uses animals to help support neurodivergent children in Africa.
- Space
Sci-fi inspired spacesuit recycles pee into drinking water
A spacesuit that collects and filters urine could prove a boon to future remote workers — even on Earth. Like the idea? Thank Dune.
- Math
Scientists Say: Fractal
There’s no end in sight for these infinitely complex geometric wonders.
- Health & Medicine
A little-known gene may explain why some people never get COVID-19
A quick immune response and high activity of this gene in the nose may help some people avoid getting the viral infection.
- Tech
Lasers help put the cork on spilled oil
Treating cork with lasers made the material able to quickly sponge up oil while repelling water, scientists in China and Israel found.
