Life
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FossilsAncient jellyfish? Upside down this one looks like something else
A new look at an ancient sea animal called Essexella suggests it may have been a type of burrowing sea anemone, not a floating jelly.
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TechA device spots and counts honeybees hosting a dangerous parasite
At Regeneron ISEF, three teens debuted an infrared system to detect honeybees carrying mites. It can show beekeepers when a colony needs to be treated.
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BrainScientists Say: Connectome
A connectome is a diagram of the cellular highways that carry information in the brain.
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EnvironmentMaking yards more diverse can reap big environmental benefits
Replacing grass with native plants uses less water and fewer chemicals while providing additional benefits to people and wildlife.
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AnimalsRats can bop their heads to a musical beat
Rats’ rhythmic response to human music doesn’t mean they like to dance. But it may shed light on how brains evolved to perceive rhythm.
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EcosystemsScientists Say: Food web
All the species in an ecosystem and the feeding relationships between them get summed up with this handy picture.
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BrainScientists mapped every nerve cell in this insect brain
Researchers have built a “connectivity map” of all the nerve cells in the larval fruit fly brain and how they link together.
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Health & MedicineHumans might be able to hibernate during space travel
Scientists are studying how animals hibernate and developing new technologies to help humans sleep through space travel.
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BrainLet’s learn about the science of language
The languages we speak may help shape how we see, smell and hear the world around us.
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PlantsAnalyze This: Plants sound off when they’re in trouble
When dry or cut, tomato and tobacco plants make sounds too high for humans to hear. Such sounds could provide a way to snoop on crops.
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Health & MedicineHand dryers can infect clean hands with bathroom germs
Hot-air hand dryers are a haven for microbes. A finalist at Regeneron ISEF found that these machines spray germs all over freshly washed hands.
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AnimalsHow to tell if cats are having fun — or if fur is flying
Quietly wrestling cats may be hard at play. But if they’re chasing and yowling, you might have a cat fight on your hands.