Uncategorized
- Microbes
What the weird world of protists can teach us about life on Earth
Microbes vastly outnumber multicellular life on Earth. A close-up look at protists highlights how much we don't know about the microscopic world.
- Artificial Intelligence
AI learned how to influence humans by watching a video game
New research used the game Overcooked to show how AI can learn to collaborate with — or manipulate — us.
- Animals
Let’s learn about animals’ bizarre sleep schedules
From reindeer that snooze while chewing to penguins that take thousands of naps each day, the animal kingdom has some truly weird sleep patterns.
- Space
Explainer: What is the solar cycle?
Here’s what causes the sun’s 11-year cycle of activity and what it means for us on Earth.
- Space
Scientists Say: Corona
The sun’s corona can only be seen without special instruments during a total solar eclipse.
- Plants
On hot summer days, this thistle stays cool to the touch
Its yellow flowers can cool themselves substantially, staying up to 10 degrees C (18 degrees F) cooler in extreme heat.
- Earth
Experiment: Can plants stop soil erosion?
Soil erosion washes pollutants into streams and rivers — but plants may help limit that.
- Psychology
You’re too distracted. Here’s why that matters and what to do about it
Science reveals the many reasons we are so distracted, from poor sleep and social media to diet and exercise. It also shows us how to take back our focus.
- Animals
Tardigrades survive harsh conditions by almost dying. Here’s how
Under stress, a chemical change signals these water bears to switch between live and mostly dead.
- Physics
Forests could help detect ‘ghost particles’ from space
If trees could act as natural antennas, one physicist proposes that they just might pick up signals of hard-to-spot ultra-high energy neutrinos.
- Tech
Scientists Say: Bionic
This type of technology combines natural and synthetic systems. It can restore lost vision and mobility and even grant cells new abilities.
- Humans
Explainer: What is autism?
Autism is not a disease, but a description used to characterize a certain type of brain development.
