All Stories by Stephen Ornes
- Space
Dusty remains from a dead star
A supernova first spotted in 1987 produced a huge cloud of space dust. Astronomers are now finding clues in it to how stars formed in the early universe.
- Animals
The bad-breath defense
The nicotine in tobacco that poisons some creatures can also act as a chemical defense — at least for some caterpillars. The bad breath it gives these insects repels natural predators, such as spiders.
- Brain
Erasing memories
Electroconvulsive therapy is used to treat severe depression, but the electrical jolt it sends into the brain also may erase bad memories.
- Chemistry
Salt bends the rules of chemistry
When squished between two diamonds and zapped by a laser, salt’s atoms can link up in unexpected ways.
- Health & Medicine
Doggy dust could be a good thing
The outdoor dust that dogs drag in contains a mix of microbes that helped mice fend off allergic reactions and viral infections.
- Genetics
Ancient DNA sparks new mystery
DNA from a 400,000-year-old leg bone found in Spain is by far the oldest recovered from pre-human ancestors. It also shows an unexpected link to later, Asian ‘kin.’
- Space
The sun’s giant heat elevators
Scientists have long known that plumes of hot plasma rise from the sun’s interior to its outer layers. New observations have now identified especially big plumes that can be 15 times as wide as Earth’s diameter and last for months.
- Animals
How seahorses use their heads
A dwarf seahorse’s head may look funny, but its shape allows the creature to sneak up on fast-moving prey.
- Planets
Jupiter’s long-lasting storm
Most studies of Jupiter’s centuries-old Great Red Spot suggest this giant storm should have petered out after a few decades. A new study traces the storm’s staying power to the vertical movement of its gases.
- Computing
The data flood
Mountains of data drive advances in science, medicine and other fields. Here’s how they might affect you.
- Computing
Explainer: Understanding the size of data
Data are beginning to accumulate in quantities of mammoth size.
- Science & Society
Human ancestors threw spears
Who threw first? Scientists had long believed that ancient people who lived 80,000 years ago were the first to throw spears with stone tips. But the discovery of 279,000-year-old stone spear tips in Ethiopia pushes that date back, and suggests prehuman species hunted with spears too.
