All Stories
- Health & Medicine
Air pollution might harm children’s eye health
Scientists used machine learning to understand air pollution’s role in eye health and vision. They found children have better eyesight in cleaner air conditions.
- Animals
Woodpeckers grunt like tennis players when they peck
The birds grunt like tennis pros when making their rat-a-tat, a strategy that may help steady their movements.
- Psychology
Sometimes the best way to reach a goal may be to quit an old one
We’re surrounded by messages to persevere through all challenges. But science shows that knowing when — and how — to quit is important, too.
- Space
This is the largest, most detailed radio image yet of our Milky Way
Supernova remnants, stellar nurseries and more populate this new view of our galaxy, as seen from Earth’s southern hemisphere.
- Materials Science
Scientists Say: Tenebrescence
Under ultraviolet light, some minerals adopt long-lasting new hues.
- Psychology
Big goals can feel overwhelming. Here’s how to stay on track
Aiming for something big? Break that big goal into smaller, manageable steps. Then narrow your focus. This will keep your eyes on the prize.
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- Artificial Intelligence
AI can now write working genetic instruction books from scratch
Two AI models designed these genomes for viruses that kill E. coli bacteria. They’re the first functioning full sets of DNA ever designed by machines.
- Brain
Brain scans reveal where taste and smell combine to become flavor
Flavor isn’t just on your tongue. Scans show that a part deep in the brain fuses taste and smell into something that’s more than a sum of its parts.
- Math
Fractals describe patterns hidden all around us
Over the last 50 years, fractals have challenged ideas about geometry and pushed math, science and technology into unexpected areas.
- Space
Analyze This: What are the chances of an asteroid hitting Earth?
The odds of a big space rock striking the planet are higher than you might think. But don’t worry — asteroid strikes may be preventable.
- Tech
Origami folds let paper support 9,000 times its weight, teen finds
Miles Wu, 14, tested the strength of different ‘Miura-Ori’ origami folds and showed they might be useful in the design of pop-up emergency shelters.
