Life
-
Health & MedicineWhich bacteria hang out in belly buttons? Here’s a who’s who
Bacteria are everywhere — even in our belly buttons. One teen at Intel ISEF decided to find out what types people were harboring in their navels.
-
AnimalsIn a colony, king penguins act like a liquid
Is this a living liquid? King penguins move around within their colonies, clearing out some space, and then refilling it. That behavior resembles a liquid, scientists conclude.
By Dan Garisto -
LifeScientists Say: Vacuole
Cells can’t always get rid of trash or digest food immediately. This week’s word describes where they store their stuff.
-
PhysicsAn ancient plant inspires a new lab tool
Researchers have designed a lab tool that moves liquids from one place to another by mimicking a plant called a liverwort.
By Sid Perkins -
AnimalsFighting ‘like an animal’ may not be what you expect
Evolution has produced a broad range of conflict styles. And some of the best examples come from outside the world of the familiar.
By Susan Milius -
Health & MedicineInked mice hint at how tattoos live on
Tattooed mice challenge our current understanding of how tattoos stay in humans.
By Dan Garisto -
AnimalsScientists Say: Invasive species
These are foreign species that are causing problems for native organisms and ecosystems.
-
AnimalsCool Jobs: Diving for new medicines
Scientists mix research with underwater adventure as they search the oceans for new chemicals to treat infections, cancer and more.
-
LifeThis power source is shockingly eel-like
The electric eel’s powerful electric charge inspired this new squishy, water-based new approach to generating power.
-
LifeThese fish have truly flashing eyes
A reef fish can send flashes of light from its eyes. This trick might help the fish track its prey.
-
AnimalsNature shows how dragons might breathe fire
Fire-breathing dragons can’t live anywhere outside of a book or TV. But nature provides some guidance as to how they might get their flames. If they existed, anyway.
-
LifeScientists Say: Kelp
Kelp is a kind of seaweed that forms huge forests under the ocean. But it isn’t a plant; it’s a type of algae.