Life
- 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
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.
- Plants
Scientists Say: Circumnutation
Plants are always on the move, their tips slowly waving in search of better light — a process called circumnutation.
- Animals
Analyze This: Why the fastest creatures are neither tiny or huge
The “Goldilocks zone” for fast animal speed seems to depend on a body not being too small or so big it gets in the way of its own strength.
- Agriculture
A secret climate superhero lies beneath our farms
Agriculture contributes to climate change. But changes to how farms manage soil might help remove carbon and other greenhouse gases from the air.
- Animals
Lab-grown mosquitoes could help protect Hawaii’s native birds
To curb the spread of avian malaria, a teen researcher found a way to make those mosquitoes grow faster and stronger.
- Animals
Butts of these fly larvae mimic a termite’s face
Young blowflies found in Morocco look — and smell — like the termites they hide amongst. These tricks help the larvae survive amongst the killers.
- Microbes
Living lenses? Glass-coated microbes might take better photos
Bacteria with a gene from sea sponges can coat themselves in glass. Working as tiny, bendable lenses, they could lead to thinner cameras or sensors.
- Health & Medicine
Scratching an itch has both good effects and bad
Mice that scratch itchy ears trigger more redness and swelling — but also may combat harmful bacteria.
