All Stories
- Humans
A real-life vampire probably couldn’t survive on blood alone
Vampires often have human bodies. To survive on blood, they’d need to shed millions of years of evolution.
- Science & Society
A century later, impacts of the Scopes ‘Monkey Trial’ still echo
The case fostered a major distrust of experts in parts of U.S. society, especially those challenging the Bible’s account that humans never evolved.
- Animals
Birds of paradise have a newly discovered glow
Many male birds of paradise have bellies, bills and other parts that glow under certain types of light. This special gleam may help them woo mates.
- Space
This astronomer searches for alien chemistry and tech
At the SETI Institute, Chenoa Tremblay uses radio telescopes to look for molecules and emissions given off by alien technology.
- Genetics
DNA reveals the origin of East Asia’s favorite sweet bean
Where those red beans — also called adzuki — came from had been murky. A new study says it all started in Japan.
- Genetics
Scientists Say: Genome
This complete set of DNA carries all the basic “how-to” instructions an organism needs to grow, develop and live.
- Fossils
New clues about dino speed come from birds strutting through mud
Fossilized footprints can help calculate how fast dinosaurs moved. But tests with guinea fowl show that past estimates might not be right.
- Space
35 years on, Hubble continues to revolutionize astronomy
The Hubble Space Telescope is an icon in astronomy. Here are some of its most out-of-this-world images.
- Tech
Lasers can eavesdrop on microbes, including viruses
They can sometimes identify not only the types, but also how many there are. One day, lasers might be able to keep track of what germs are around us.
- Space
A new dwarf planet may skirt the edge of our solar system
For the distant object, one trip around the sun takes over 24,000 years. Its orbit challenges a proposed path for a hypothetical “Planet Nine.”
- Environment
Scientists Say: Steppe
Expansive, windswept grasslands offer ample grazing for roaming herd animals and more.
- Life
Fungi have been ‘zombifying’ insects for 99 million years
Two bits of ancient amber sitting in a lab basement hold evidence of a fungus that’s become famous for controlling the minds of its victims.
