Life
- Animals
When it’s hot, echidnas blow snot bubbles to cool off
These spiky Australian mammals have a trick to moisten their noses, allowing them to survive hot temperatures that should kill them.
-
- Health & Medicine
New brain scans may show if a concussion has not yet healed
Concussions change certain brain waves, and delta waves may be the best signs of when teens can return to competitive sports.
- Materials Science
Analyze This: Algae behind blue-glowing waves light up a new device
Some algae glow blue when they experience forces. Held in transparent plastic, they now make devices light up in response to gentle pushes and tugs.
- Archaeology
Carvings on Australia’s boab trees reveal a people’s lost history
Archaeologists and an Aboriginal family are working together to find and document a First Nations group’s lost ties to the land.
- Microbes
Bacteria give some cheeses their distinct flavors
Linking types of bacteria to specific flavors could help cheesemakers tweak their products — or even develop new cheese flavor.
- Animals
How can Baby Yoda be 50 years old?
Animals with wings, big bodies or other protections from predators are more likely to evolve long lifespans.
- Chemistry
Scientists Say: Rubisco
Rubisco is a key protein in the process of photosynthesis, which feeds plants — and, in turn, us.
- Animals
A love of small mammals drives this scientist
Alexis Mychajliw’s science is driven by her love of animals. She now looks to tar pits and fossilized poop to understand ancient ecosystems.
- Computing
Sleep helps AI models learn new things without forgetting old ones
Breaks in training meant to mimic human sleep helped artificial intelligence learn multiple tasks.
- Animals
Prairie voles can couple up even without the ‘love hormone’
Scientists thought the chemical oxytocin was required to make prairie voles mate. They were wrong.
- Health & Medicine
Explainer: Why it’s easier to get sick in the winter
Low humidity helps viruses survive, and cold weather blunts some of the body’s immune responses — making colds and other viral infections more likely.
