Topics

Chemistry

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.

By Natasha VizcarraFebruary 5, 2026

an illustration of brightly colored particles in various patterns

Materials Science

‘Stenciling’ tiny gold particles gives them new properties

By Skyler WareJanuary 21, 2026

Chemistry

Scientists finally know why ice is so slippery

By Elizabeth FernandezJanuary 12, 2026

Earth

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.

By Natasha VizcarraFebruary 5, 2026

illustrated graphic with four panels representing a landscape in four seasons: winter, spring, summer and autumn

Earth

Experiment: How does the tilt of Earth’s axis affect the seasons?

By Science BuddiesFebruary 4, 2026

A massive dust storm — called a haboob — rolls across the Arizona desert

Earth

Scientists Say: Haboob

By Katie Grace CarpenterJanuary 26, 2026

Humans

a doctor sits on a bed next to mannequins lying on their stomachs with their bottoms showing

Health & Medicine

Butt breathing might help people struggling to get enough oxygen

This strange investigation into whether humans can use the gut for breathing has surprisingly heartwarming origins: helping the scientist’s dad.

By Maria Temming10 hours ago

a pale teen boy has fallen off his skateboard and seems injured, behind him a teen girl points and laughs at him

Psychology

Everyone experiences malicious joy now and then

By Alison Pearce StevensJanuary 29, 2026

Microbes

Let’s learn about viruses

By Maria TemmingJanuary 27, 2026

Life

a lioness opening her mouth wide to roar

Animals

Lions have a second roar that scientists have only just discovered

This insight from machine-learning analyses of recordings of calls in the wild might help detect where lions are declining.

By Elie DolginFebruary 6, 2026

a person holds up a phone with a chatbot icon on the screen, and the chatbot saying 'hello! ask me anything'

Brain

Scientists Say: Hallucination

By Katie Grace CarpenterFebruary 2, 2026

Water fills the crime scene-like outline of Chicago's Rat Hole, a rodent-shaped crater in concrete with visible foot, toe and tail impressions.

Animals

Chicago’s Rat Hole? Science concludes it’s likely not from a rat

By Amanda HeidtFebruary 2, 2026

Math

Math

Scientists Say: Logarithm

Think of this math function as just another way to solve equations involving exponents.

By Katie Grace CarpenterJanuary 12, 2026

a white and yellow spiraling fractal pattern on a dark blue background

Math

Fractals describe patterns hidden all around us

By Stephen OrnesDecember 18, 2025

in a row of petri dishes, the number of red beads doubles in each dish from 1 to 2 to 4 to 8 to 16 to 32

Math

Scientists Say: Exponent

By Katie Grace CarpenterDecember 9, 2025

Physics

Space

Scientists Say: Spacetime

Weaving together the concepts of space and time allows scientists to understand gravity and more.

By Katie Grace Carpenter10 hours ago

Climate

Science & Society

Space

Animals

Lions have a second roar that scientists have only just discovered

By Elie DolginFebruary 6, 2026

A scanning electron micrograph shows an mosquito head with a compound eye and two long, hair-covered antennae on a black background.

Tech

A mosquito’s mouth can ‘print’ lines thinner than a human hair

By Payal DharFebruary 3, 2026

Topics

As winters warm, athletes must cope with harder snow and tricky ice

‘Stenciling’ tiny gold particles gives them new properties

Scientists finally know why ice is so slippery

As winters warm, athletes must cope with harder snow and tricky ice

Experiment: How does the tilt of Earth’s axis affect the seasons?

Scientists Say: Haboob

Butt breathing might help people struggling to get enough oxygen

Everyone experiences malicious joy now and then

Let’s learn about viruses

Lions have a second roar that scientists have only just discovered

Scientists Say: Hallucination

Chicago’s Rat Hole? Science concludes it’s likely not from a rat

Scientists Say: Logarithm

Fractals describe patterns hidden all around us

Scientists Say: Exponent

Scientists Say: Spacetime

As winters warm, athletes must cope with harder snow and tricky ice

Is it possible to be invisible?

This cosmologist studies the invisible parts of the universe

Linking science to dance, culture and more expands who can take part

Chopping an onion? Sharp knives can keep its juice out of your eyes

Scientists Say: Spacetime

They came from other stars! [COMIC]

This cosmologist studies the invisible parts of the universe

Butt breathing might help people struggling to get enough oxygen

Lions have a second roar that scientists have only just discovered

A mosquito’s mouth can ‘print’ lines thinner than a human hair

It’s a wonderful world — and universe — out there.

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