Engineering Design
- Brain
A taste map in the brain is a scattering of tiny flavor islands
Some senses are highly organized in the brain. Taste is not. And that points to just how important it is.
- Health & Medicine
Early details emerge about the new U.K. coronavirus variant
The variant may spread more easily from person to person. That could make continuing to wear masks all the more important, experts say.
- Chemistry
A soil-based ‘concrete’ could make buildings green, even on Mars
A new soil-based material offers an alternative to concrete for 3-D printing environmentally friendly buildings.
- Chemistry
Flexible devices may help clothes solar power your screens
A fluorescent polymer duo boosts the efficiency of solar cells. One day this material may coat your jacket, hat or backpack to provide power on the go.
- Environment
Old clothes soon may be recycled, not trashed
One day, clothes may be recycled almost as much as plastics and glass are now. See how chemists are moving us in that direction.
- Space
Star of science and movies, the Arecibo radio telescope is dead
Broken cables led to catastrophic damage of its history-making dish. The U.S. National Science Foundation will now dismantle what remains.
- Space
Why Arecibo’s loss is such a big deal for astronomy
Damage to the radio telescope in Puerto Rico has robbed scientists of a special tool for studying everything from asteroids to galaxies.
- Agriculture
How to grow your own science experiment
Does fertilizer help plants grow better? You might expect it to, but how can you know? This experiment will help you test it yourself.
- Chemistry
Here’s how to make flip-flops biodegradable
Innovative flip-flops made from an algae-based plastic decompose in soil or compost. The comfy shoes also avoid use of fossil fuels.
- Computing
New device tells smiles from frowns — even through a mask
Most facial-recognition software has to see the whole face to work. The new type can reconstruct an entire expression from just viewing your cheeks.
- Animals
Around the world, birds are in crisis
Human activities around the world are threatening bird species. Numbers of even some of the most common species are starting to fall.
- Health & Medicine
Third major vaccine shows great promise against COVID-19
This vaccine, which may be easier to get to the public, appears to be 90 percent effective at halting disease and maybe spread of the new coronavirus.
