Eureka! Lab

When teens fall in love — with science

Finalists at the Intel Science Talent Search competition tell Eureka! Lab about that moment when they knew they loved science.

Teen adds tiny bits of clay to make cement go with the flow

Flaws in cement contributed to the infamous Deepwater Horizon disaster. A teen hopes to create a better sealant.

Teen hunts exoplanets at our galaxy’s center

The center of our galaxy is full of stars. A teen showed there might just be unknown planets in the mix.

Citizen scientists spy on camel crickets

Ever seen a camel cricket — or spricket? Scientists asked homeowners about these hopping critters and found there may be a new invader on the loose.

Why teachers send mixed messages on climate science

Most middle- and high-school teachers now cover climate change. But they don’t always emphasize that scientists agree that human actions are a primary driver.

Oysters dine on ocean plastic

When oysters suck up microplastics, they have fewer and smaller offspring, a new study shows.

Students depict more scientists as women than ever

The image of a male scientist with crazy hair is slowly becoming less, well, male, new research shows. Yet, sadly, the nerd-factor remains.

Watching water dance and seeing music as lights at family science expo

Family science days offers science learning for everyone, from good vibrations to endangered animal species.

Using the smallest words for the biggest concepts

Many people think that big scientific concepts require big, complex words. A new book shows that — in some cases — simple words work just as well.

How kids ‘see’ scientists depends on what they read

When students draw a scientist, they rely on messages from textbooks and other media. Now do your own version of the experiment and see if your results match.

Give a holiday gift of science

Science-themed gifts can be a lot of fun. These offer experiences that entertain and teach.

Most needy don’t attend free online courses

Massive open online courses, or MOOCs, were supposed to make first-class college offerings free to the masses. But new data show that people who would benefit most from these classes are not who are attending them.