Life

Plants

For some trees, acting as lightning rods helps them survive

Being struck by lightning is usually bad. But for one tropical tree, a mighty zap can kill rivals and parasitic vines.

Space

Is the International Space Station too clean?

Testing surfaces on board the space station revealed low microbial diversity, something that’s been linked to health problems elsewhere.

Plants

Let’s learn about plant movement

Some plants use their powers of superspeed to spread spores, while others use it to snatch up prey.

Animals

Some iguanas may have rafted across the Pacific 30 million years ago

The iguanas' epic 8,000-kilometer trip — one-fifth of Earth’s circumference — may be the longest made by a flightless land vertebrate.

Fossils

Could Spinosaurus swim? That would make it a game changer

Spinosaurus fossils are challenging the longstanding claim that ancient dinosaurs were never fully aquatic. And some paleontologists still aren’t convinced.

Animals

Some fish have legs that can taste prey underfoot

Taste buds on those legs may explain why northern sea robins are so good at finding food that is buried in the sandy seafloor.

Physics

Much of the sun’s light is green. Why does it look yellow?

Sunlight's peak intensity is at a green wavelength. Here’s why it doesn’t appear that way to us.

Animals

Scientists Say: Exoskeleton

This plate armor provides protection to insects, spiders and more. But that benefit comes with tradeoffs.

Animals

Can this ‘woolly mouse’ help bring back extinct mammoths?

Scientists created mice with woolly mammoth–like traits. But that doesn’t mean we’re close to bringing back woolly mammoths.

Animals

Dire wolves or not, these pups could help counter extinction

Some question if these are just gene-tweaked gray wolves. Still, the tech behind the new "dire wolves" might help some living at-risk species avoid extinction.

Materials Science

A beautiful blue butterfly wing offers a new way to study cancer

Once a morpho butterfly wing is placed atop a thin slice of tissue, shining polarized light through it can help reveal how likely breast cancer is to spread.

Brain

Let’s learn about memory

Brain injuries, drug use and other factors can impair our memory. But targeted practice and healthy habits can boost our ability to remember.