Life

Agriculture

Learning what stresses queen bees could save their hives

Beehives often die off after the queen gets too stressed to make enough babies. New tests could identify what stressed her — and point to solutions.

Animals

Here’s what bats ‘see’ when they explore the world with sound

High-speed cameras, fancy microphones and slick software are helping scientists get the best look yet at what bats perceive through echolocation.

Chemistry

Explainer: How photosynthesis works

Plants can take in light, water and carbon dioxide, and send out sugar and oxygen. Here’s how it works.

Physics

Here’s how giant pumpkins get so big

Cinderella took a ride in a pumpkin coach. Though real pumpkins do get big enough, here’s why their ride would be uncomfortable at best.

Animals

One hummingbird survives cold nights by nearly freezing stiff

To survive a freezing night, hummingbirds in the Andes mountains go very still, slow their heart rate and let their body temperature plummet.

Brain

Scientists Say: Narcotic

Scientists refer to a narcotic as a drug that stops pain, but the word can be used in other ways as well.

Genetics

Gene editing can alter body fat and may fight diabetes

Researchers have long dreamed of using brown fat to fight obesity and diabetes. Work in animals shows they’re closing in on achieving that dream.

Climate

The faster trees grow, the younger they die

As climate change spurs forest tree growth, it also shortens trees’ lives. That results in a quicker release of climate-warming carbon back into the atmosphere.

Genetics

Some Neandertal genes may up the risk of severe COVID-19

Most of the affected people descend from communities in South Asia or live in Europe today.

Animals

Whales get a second life as deep-sea buffets

When a whale dies and sinks to the seafloor, it becomes a feast for hundreds of different types of creatures.

Animals

Let’s learn about bones

Bones hold us up and help us fight gravity with every step. They also make blood cells, hormones and more.

Climate

Scientists Say: Desert

Deserts are ecosystems that get less than 250 millimeters (10 inches) of precipitation per year.