Animals
Intricate silk helps net-casting spiders trap prey in webs
Rufous net-casting spiders can adjust the stiffness and stretchiness of their webs thanks to looping strands of silk.
Physics
More Stories in Physics
- Physics
Could a person ever wield lightning as a weapon?
From the shocking powers of electric eels to laser-guided lightning, aiming electricity is more real than it sounds.
- Tech
New light-activated coating can kill stubborn germs
Based on graphene, this new material can knock out hard-to-kill germs on contact — even in your mouth.
- Physics
Let’s learn how to make a sports ball soar
A ball’s shape and spin both affect how it flies through the air.
- Humans
Using physics can help athletes avoid sports injuries
Jessica Talmage uses physics to help understand how the body moves. Her findings help athletes avoid sports injuries and improve their performance.
- Tech
Scientists Say: Cryogenic
This deep-frozen field of science allows conservation biologists to preserve the DNA of endangered species and more.
- Chemistry
Explainer: What is chirality?
Chiral molecules are mirror images of each other. They might not seem all that different — but can have drastically different effects in medicine, materials and more.
- Physics
Precise tee placement can improve golf driving, teen finds
A homemade golf-ball-driving machine helped this middle-school engineer improve his own game.
- Space
Scientists Say: Spacetime
Weaving together the concepts of space and time allows scientists to understand gravity and more.
- Climate
As winters warm, athletes must cope with harder snow and tricky ice
Ice arenas and artificial snow now dominate the winter Olympics. Athletes there — and everywhere — may need to adjust how they train and perform.
