Life
- Plants
Need a little luck? Here’s how to grow your own
A 2019 Intel ISEF finalist used a plant hormone and extra fertilizer to boost the numbers of multi-leafed clovers — including lucky four-leafed plants — she could reliably grow.
- Animals
Testing mosquito pee could help track disease spread
A new way to monitor the viruses that wild mosquitoes have picked up passes its first outdoor test. The method uses mosquito urine.
- Genetics
How some birds lost the ability to fly
Some birds have evolved to stay on the ground instead of flying. Scientists think changes to bossy bits of DNA might be the reason.
- Genetics
Scientists Say: Genealogy
This is the study of someone’s ancestry. It could mean finding out about someone’s family tree or the history of evolution from one species to another.
- Animals
Yes, cats know their own names
Cats can tell their names apart from other spoken words. A new study supports what cat owners the world over had suspected.
- Animals
Bears that eat human ‘junk food’ may hibernate less
Wild black bears snacking on leftovers of sugary, highly processed foods show possible signs of faster cellular wear.
- Animals
Paleontologists find the first fossilized egg inside an ancient bird
For the first time, paleontologists have found an unlaid egg inside an ancient bird fossil. That egg may have caused its mother’s death.
- Animals
Desert kangaroo rats ninja-kick attacking rattlesnakes
High-speed cameras reveal desert kangaroo rats’ lightning-fast defensive moves.
- Animals
A new fossil shows how hagfish went back to basics
A new fossil hagfish shows these animals aren’t as primitive as researchers had assumed.
- Brain
People may indeed have a sixth sense — for magnetism
People may process information about Earth’s magnetic field without knowing it, a study of brain waves suggests.
- Animals
When parenting goes cuckoo
Brood parasites are animals that trick another species into raising their young. This is known among birds, fish and insects.
- Genetics
Shaking hands could transfer your DNA — leaving it on things you never touched
After a long handshake, the DNA you trade could end up on things you never touched.
