Life
- Animals
Dinosaurs are still alive. Today, we call them birds
Birds don’t look like the scaly giants of Jurassic World. But fossils are revealing how these modern-day dinosaurs descended from ancient reptiles.
- Animals
What is a dinosaur?
Scientists have named more than 1,000 species of nonavian dinosaurs. Their legacy lives on in the 11,000-plus bird species alive today.
- Fossils
This paleontologist solved a nearly 50-year-old dino mystery
ReBecca Hunt-Foster described what is now the state dinosaur of Arkansas
- Animals
Let’s learn about bumblebees
In the spring, queen bumblebees emerge from their winter hibernation to start new colonies.
- Materials Science
Orange food dye can temporarily turn skin transparent
When mixed with water and rubbed on the skin, a common food dye allows researchers to peer inside the body of a mouse.
- Animals
Among chimpanzees, peeing is contagious
One individual chimpanzee peeing prompts others to follow suit — but scientists don’t know why.
- Brain
Explainer: How our body deals with stress
Our autonomic nervous system balances two natural responses. If stressed or overwhelmed, simple techniques can help to restore that balance.
- Science & Society
Does your natural history museum need a makeover?
A lot of their old-fashioned dioramas — a type of exhibit — are biased, boring or even unscientific. Here’s what modern museums are doing to fix that.
- Tech
A robotic hand helps piano players’ fingers move faster
Robotic devices like this might someday help musicians, gamers, athletes or even surgeons improve their dexterity.
- Animals
A changing Arctic current seems to be impacting bowhead whales
A teen researcher investigated bowhead whales and found their migrations may be responding to a changing sea current.
- Animals
Scientists Say: Caecilian
Some of these amphibians can produce a milk-like liquid for their offspring and give birth to live young. And those aren't the only rules these rebels break.
- Brain
Having sparse links in the hippocampus may maximize memory storage
Tissue from the memory centers of people’s brains reveal relatively few links among nerve cells in the hippocampus. But they carried strong, reliable signals.
