All Stories by Ilima Loomis
- Planets
Cool Jobs: Exploring the solar system
Meet three scientists who explore the solar system. Their jobs range from steering a spacecraft to chasing solar eclipses around the world.
- Animals
Some fish wear an invisibility cloak
Some fish can hide in open water. How? Tiny crystals in their scales and skin help them reflect and blend in with polarized light.
- Health & Medicine
Nearsighted? Eye drops slow worsening vision
Myopia — or nearsightedness — is a growing problem worldwide. Low doses of an ancient drug could slow its development, without side effects.
- Brain
Parents’ math anxiety can ‘infect’ kids
A study of first- and second- graders found that kids whose parents fear math learn less math at school ¬— but only when parents help with homework.
- Space
Like Tatooine in ‘Star Wars,’ this planet has two suns
Scientists have found the tenth planet with two suns. Such planets might be more common than single-sun planets, like our own, a new survey suggests.
- Physics
Fade to black? The universe is in decline
One of the largest sky surveys ever made has found that the universe is in decline. And after losing even more energy over the next 100 billion years, it will be dark, empty and boring.
- Animals
Why you’ll never see a dirty gecko
By knowing how a gecko’s skin works, could self-cleaning, water-repelling, antibacterial clothes be far behind?
- Space
Galaxy cluster creates ‘magnifying glass’ in space
A massive galaxy’s gravity is so strong that it bends light, creating a “lens” in space. This natural magnifying glass is giving astronomers a rare view of a supernova on the other side of the universe.
- Animals
Orangutans take the low road
Cameras spotted orangutans walking down logging roads to get around. That may be a good sign that they can adapt to changes in their woodsy environment.
- Physics
Machine simulates the sun’s core
A machine heats iron atoms to temperatures that match the interior of the sun. This has helped solve a solar mystery.
- Health & Medicine
The secret of fast runners: symmetry
Science had shown that animals and people with symmetrical bodies tend to be stronger and healthier. Now researchers find they can predict the best sprinters by measuring the top runners’ knees.
