All Stories
- Animals
Horses became gentle and easy to ride thanks to two gene mutations
Horse breeders altered two genes by targeting certain traits in horses. One made the animals tamer. Another made their backs sturdy enough to carry riders.
- Earth
Cities across the world are sinking. Here’s how they might rebound
Affected coastal cities tend to flood more often — a growing threat in this era of continuing sea level rise.
- Psychology
Connections at school could limit bullying’s harm to mental health
Recently bullied teens with a strong sense of connectedness at school reported fewer signs of depression than those without it, a new study finds.
- Animals
Let’s learn about venom
A bite or puncture from a venomous critter can cause paralysis, flesh rot, organ failure and many more violent — and sometimes fatal — symptoms.
- Fossils
Fossil teeth reveal some dinos were fussy eaters
The type of calcium in those teeth points to what herbivores preferred to eat — whether soft leaves, rough twigs or something else.
- Physics
Scientists Say: Infrasound
“Listening” for changes in these deep rumblings can allow scientists to predict earthquakes and other geological events.
- Health & Medicine
Short exercise workouts can boost classroom performance
When students spend just nine minutes doing high-intensity interval exercises, their brains can work more efficiently, new data show.
- Chemistry
Structures that work like Hermione’s magic handbag land a chemistry Nobel
Richard Robson, Susumu Kitagawa and Omar Yaghi developed these metal-organic frameworks, which can trap pollutants, collect water from air and more.
- Health & Medicine
Floss delivers flu vaccine to mice needle-free
The creative solution may one day allow people to vaccinate themselves — no injection needed.
- Space
The Vera Rubin Observatory is set to revolutionize astronomy
Equipped with the world’s largest digital camera, this new telescope is poised to help solve some of the universe’s biggest mysteries.
- Physics
Discoveries behind quantum computers win the Nobel Prize in physics
John Clarke, Michel Devoret and John Martinis turned up quantum effects in an electric circuit. This 1980s find underlies today’s quantum computers.
- Physics
Comb-like wings help the tiniest insects swim through ‘syrupy’ air
When you're the size of a grain of sand, flying through air is like swimming through a syrup. Bristled wings help the tiniest insects manage this.
