All Stories by Maria Temming
- Animals
Traces from nuclear-weapons tests offer clues to whale sharks’ ages
Traces left by nuclear-bomb testing in the 1950s and ‘60s can help researchers learn how old a whale shark is.
- Environment
Legos could last a disturbingly long time in the ocean
By looking at toys washed up on beaches, scientists have estimated how long it takes hard plastics to break down in the oceans. And it’s a long time.
- Earth
Newfound ‘dunes’ is among weirdest of northern lights
There’s a new aurora dubbed the 'dunes.' It’s weird and joins the ranks of black auroras, STEVE and other odd natural light shows.
- Archaeology
3-D printing helps resurrect an ancient Egyptian mummy’s voice
A 3-D printed mold of a mummy’s vocal tract reveals what the mummy may sound like today.
- Earth
Help for a world drowning in microplastics
Microplastic pollution in our oceans and lakes is a problem. Scientists are testing solutions — from more biodegradable recipes to nanotechnology.
- Physics
First heavy element identified from a neutron-star collision
Scientists have at last witnessed newborn strontium in the afterglow of a neutron-star smashup. It confirms what they had suspected about how many massive stars are created.
- Planets
Astronomers spot new type of storm on Saturn
These storms are bigger and longer lasting than squalls but not nearly as massive as this planet's Great White Spots.
- Tech
This device uses the cold night sky to generate electricity
A new device uses the temperature difference between Earth and outer space to create electricity after dark. Powering a lamp, it would be the ultimate night light.
- Chemistry
2019 Nobel Prize in chemistry goes for pioneering lithium-ion batteries
Today’s lithium-ion batteries power everything from smartphones to computers. Three scientists who pioneered those batteries just got the 2019 Nobel Prize in chemistry.
- Climate
Report sums up climate’s already dramatic impact on oceans and ice
Melting glaciers, stronger storms and acidifying oceans are signs of climate change today, a new IPCC report says. Putting a brake on greenhouse emissions could limit how dire things get.
- Space
Learning from what Apollo astronauts left on the moon
In the 1960s and ’70s, Apollo astronauts left trash, mementos and science experiments on the moon. Researchers want to study and preserve the relics.
- Planets
Preserving remnants of human culture on the moon
Artifacts left behind by lunar landings have value to research and human history. Scientists now want to preserve those cast-offs while also learning from them.
