Life

Agriculture

Crops are being engineered to thrive in our changing climate

Plants are already the best carbon catchers on Earth. New research could make them even better.

Animals

Toothed whales use their noses to whistle and click

Much as people do, toothed whales, such as dolphins and sperm whales, make noises in three different vocal registers.

Agriculture

Cow dung spews a climate-warming gas. Adding algae could limit that

But how useful this is depends on whether cows eat the red algae, a type of seaweed — or it gets added to their wastes after they’re pooped out.

Fossils

New fossils bring the wide world of pterosaurs to life

The latest clues from fossils hint at where these flying reptiles came from, how they evolved, what they ate and more.

Animals

Let’s learn about beetles’ survival superpowers

Some beetle species can survive extreme pressure, dehydration or even getting eaten.

Animals

Analyze This: White wing spots may help monarch butterflies fly far

Monarchs with more white on their wings are more successful migrants, new research shows

Life

Scientists Say: Mycelium

These fibrous networks are the reason plants think fungi are such "fun guys.”

Tech

Nanobots can now enter brain cells to spy on what they’re doing

Fleets of advanced versions may one day be able to detect disease and then go about surgically treating it — without ever opening the skull.

Materials Science

Made from fungi, this vegan leather can self-heal holes or rips

If made under gentle conditions, leather formed from the “roots” of mushrooms can retain the ability to regrow and repair minor damage.

Math

Bees and wasps devised the same clever math trick to build nests

During nest building, these insects add five- and seven-sided cells in pairs. This helps their colony fit together hexagonal cells of different sizes.

Psychology

Scientists Say: Neurodivergent

This often-misunderstood word describes someone whose brain works a little differently from most.

Animals

How artificial intelligence could help us talk to animals

AI translates human languages with ease. Researchers are now using this tech to analyze the sounds of whales, rodents and many other animals.