All Stories
- Physics
Could we ever build the tech to shrink ourselves?
The atoms that make us up couldn’t be shrunk or smashed closer together — at least, not without catastrophic consequences.
- Plants
Potatoes and tomatoes share a surprising history
Today’s potato likely came from a chance cross between an ancient tomato and a spud-less potato-plant lookalike, research shows.
- Animals
Let’s learn about tardigrades
These tiny animals can survive drying out, freezing, harsh radiation and other hazards.
- Health & Medicine
Seeing sick faces revs up our immune system, new data show
It activates parts of the brain that detect threats and boosts the activity of at least one type of immune cell.
- Chemistry
Scientists Say: Element
The number of neutrons and electrons can vary in atoms of the same element. The number of protons alone sets each of these substances apart.
- Humans
These Korean women spend more time underwater than any other humans
At an average age of 70, these divers in South Korea still forage in the sea for up to 10 hours a day. They spend more than half of that time underwater.
- Physics
How to make a pitched ball curve to your will
A range of tricks pitchers use to get curve all come down to the thin layers of air next to the ball — and how a ball’s spin and seams affect them.
- Earth
This ‘megaflash’ is now the longest lightning bolt on record
A reanalysis of satellite data showed that a 2017 Texas-to-Missouri lightning megaflash stretched 829 kilometers (515 miles) and lasted 7.39 seconds.
- Space
Looking for aliens from the far side of the moon [COMIC]
Earth’s noise and light pollution can make it hard to detect signs of life on other planets. The solution? Telescopes that use the moon as a shield.
- Math
Scientists Say: Quantitative and Qualitative
These two research approaches collect different forms of data. Both help scientists unlock secrets and build knowledge.
- Plants
Physics explains how rose petals get their iconic shape
Scientists thought they knew what was behind rose petals’ geometry. They were wrong.
- Humans
Forget droplets. Here’s how sweat really forms
This is the most detailed look yet at how we perspire. Beads of sweat are out, puddling is in.
