All Stories by Bethany Brookshire
-
These questions inspired science champs. How do you match up?
Fancy science fair projects sometimes seem like they’re only for super-geniuses. But that’s not true! Many rely on what everyone learns in school.
- Health & Medicine
Scientists Say: Ectoparasite
Many people think of parasites as organisms that live inside their hosts. But some of them can be found on the outside instead.
- Health & Medicine
Scientists Say: CT scan
Short for computerized tomography, this technique lets scientists and doctors see insides in detail.
- Animals
Scientists Say: Zooplankton
These plankton are tiny, but don’t let that fool you. They are predators, too.
- Health & Medicine
Why many Olympic athletes have early birthdays
When kids start out in sports, coaches tend to pick the biggest as the best. Here’s what scientists are trying to do about it.
- Health & Medicine
Scientists Say: Triclosan
This chemical is known for its bacteria-killing skills. But its use can also promote the development of dangerous, antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
- Brain
Unlike adults, teens don’t perform better when the stakes are high
Adults tend to do better on tasks that have bigger rewards. Not teens. This difference might have to do with the rewiring of the brain during adolescence, new data suggest.
- Computing
Scientists Say: Ampere
An ampere is a unit of electric current. It’s a base unit, meaning it’s one on which all electrical calculations are based.
- Health & Medicine
Don’t blame the rats for spreading the Black Death
Popular history says millions of people died of the Black Death in the Middle Ages after being bit by fleas living on rats. But human fleas may be the real culprits, a new study finds.
- Microbes
Scientists Say: Archaea
Archaea are single-celled organisms that live anywhere from hot springs to your gut. Scientists used to think they were bacteria, but now they know they are their own domain.
- Chemistry
Scientists Say: Salt
Salts in chemistry are compounds made when a positively charged acid is combined with a negatively charged base. Table salt is one example.
- Space
Scientists Say: Neutron star
When large, ancient stars die, they explode. But they don’t disappear. The remnants become incredibly dense neutron stars.
