Topics

Chemistry

an illustration of brightly colored particles in various patterns

Materials Science

‘Stenciling’ tiny gold particles gives them new properties

Decorating nanoparticles with other chemicals could give them useful properties for medicines, textiles and more.

By Skyler WareJanuary 21, 2026

Chemistry

Scientists finally know why ice is so slippery

By Elizabeth FernandezJanuary 12, 2026

illustration of Rudolph covered with snow and with his nose lit up

Animals

Rudolph’s red nose could glow through bioluminescence

By Maria TemmingDecember 3, 2025

Earth

a giant mushroom cloud billows out from Bikini atoll, as seen from a nearby beach

Environment

Nuclear weapons tests many decades ago have left a radioactive legacy

Decades of aboveground nuclear weapons tests, starting in the 1950s, lightly littered the planet with toxic fallout, which appears to have sickened some people.

By Jennifer Weeks8 hours ago

A fox stands behind a clump of long grass and wideflowers, on an asphalt path

Animals

Radioactive animals don’t glow — but do show the power of radiation

By Jennifer Weeks8 hours ago

Animals

Some Antarctic fish arrange their nests into odd shapes

By Carly KayJanuary 13, 2026

Humans

a woman and a dog help pull a person out from beneath a pile of snow during an avalanche safety training exercise

Health & Medicine

Recruits agreed to be buried face down in the snow, for science

A safety device helped maintain the buried person’s oxygen levels for a half hour or more, which might provide time for an avalanche rescue.

By Aimee CunninghamJanuary 19, 2026

an illustration shows a hand with puppet strings extending from its fingers toward the head of a mesmerized person

Brain

Hypnosis isn’t magic. It’s the brain at work

By Maria TemmingJanuary 8, 2026

a young woman with dark hair wearing a mask and glasses in a smoggy outdoor setting

Health & Medicine

Air pollution might harm children’s eye health

By Payal DharJanuary 7, 2026

Life

Animals

Radioactive animals don’t glow — but do show the power of radiation

Wild species exposed to nuclear contamination help show how radiation affects living things — including its risks to people.

By Jennifer Weeks8 hours ago

a brightly colored slice of ammolite shimmers in green, orange and yellow on a gray background

Fossils

Here’s why ammolite gems have a rainbow shimmer

By Maria TemmingJanuary 20, 2026

three rows of beetles with shiny shells of various colors are arranged on a table with labels

Life

Scientists Say: Taxonomy

By Katie Grace CarpenterJanuary 19, 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

Animals

Radioactive animals don’t glow — but do show the power of radiation

Wild species exposed to nuclear contamination help show how radiation affects living things — including its risks to people.

By Jennifer Weeks8 hours ago

Environment

Nuclear weapons tests many decades ago have left a radioactive legacy

By Jennifer Weeks8 hours ago

Materials Science

‘Stenciling’ tiny gold particles gives them new properties

By Skyler WareJanuary 21, 2026

Science & Society

Cosmologist and dark matter researcher Katie Mack stands in front of a chalkboard covered in formulae. She is a white woman with short wavy brown hair and brown eyes.

Space

This cosmologist studies the invisible parts of the universe

Katie Mack started out building solar-powered LEGO cars as a kid. Now she studies dark matter to better understand how galaxies form and evolve.

By Aaron TremperJanuary 16, 2026

Science & Society

Life

Science & Society

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

By Kathryn HulickJanuary 15, 2026

an illustration of DNA double helixes against a blue background

Artificial Intelligence

AI can now write working genetic instruction books from scratch

By Erin Garcia de JesúsDecember 22, 2025

Topics

‘Stenciling’ tiny gold particles gives them new properties

Scientists finally know why ice is so slippery

Rudolph’s red nose could glow through bioluminescence

Nuclear weapons tests many decades ago have left a radioactive legacy

Radioactive animals don’t glow — but do show the power of radiation

Some Antarctic fish arrange their nests into odd shapes

Recruits agreed to be buried face down in the snow, for science

Hypnosis isn’t magic. It’s the brain at work

Air pollution might harm children’s eye health

Radioactive animals don’t glow — but do show the power of radiation

Here’s why ammolite gems have a rainbow shimmer

Scientists Say: Taxonomy

Scientists Say: Logarithm

Fractals describe patterns hidden all around us

Scientists Say: Exponent

Radioactive animals don’t glow — but do show the power of radiation

Nuclear weapons tests many decades ago have left a radioactive legacy

‘Stenciling’ tiny gold particles gives them new properties

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

This cosmologist studies the invisible parts of the universe

Let’s learn about life forms that have survived in space

This is the largest, most detailed radio image yet of our Milky Way

‘Stenciling’ tiny gold particles gives them new properties

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

AI can now write working genetic instruction books from scratch

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

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