All Stories
- Computing
It’s a Small E-mail World After All
It takes roughly half a dozen e-mail links to reach just about any other person in the world.
- Genetics
Baby swaps, crime scenes, and DNA testing
By looking at animal DNA, investigators are solving crimes and conservationists are helping save endangered species.
- Space
Sky Dust Keeps Falling on Your Head
Dust raining down from space and Earth's atmosphere provides information about weather patterns, pollution, and the origin of the universe.
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- Humans
A human migration fueled by dung?
When people crossed from Asia to the Americas thousands of years ago, burning dung may have kept them warm.
- Chemistry
Worm Jaws Have Metal Power
Studying the jaws of marine worms may lead scientists to better ways of making synthetic materials.
- Health & Medicine
Speedy Gene Gives Runners a Boost
A gene known as ACTN3 may influence whether athletes are better suited to sprinting or to endurance running.
- Brain
Seniors Who Care Live Longer
Older people who took care of others lived longer than those who were less helpful.
- Earth
Undersea vent system active for ages
Chemical analyses reveal that the tall towers of a set of hydrothermal vents called the Lost City have been growing for 30,000 years.
- Plants
New gene fights potato blight
Adding a gene from a wild potato to the varieties we eat could stop a devastating potato disease.
- Animals
City birds hit the high notes
Some songbirds battle traffic noise by singing at a higher pitch.
- Tech
In Search of the Perfect French Fry
Scientists are looking for new ways to make french fries that have the proper balance of flavor, texture, and nutrition.
