All Stories
- Particle Physics
‘Ghost Particle’ chronicles the neutrino’s discovery and what’s left to learn
Author James Riordon discusses his new book, why neutrinos are so important and how physicists are on the verge of making big discoveries about them.
- Anthropology
Two scientists’ trek showed how people of Chaco Canyon may have hauled logs
By carrying a log with the aid of head straps called tumplines, the duo demoed how people may have hauled timbers to Chaco about 1,000 years ago.
- Life
Honeybees waggle to communicate. But to do it well, they need dance lessons
Young honeybees can’t perfect waggling on their own after all. Without older sisters to practice with, youngsters fail to nail distances.
- Archaeology
Some monkeys accidentally make stone flakes that resemble ancient hominid tools
A study of Thailand macaques raises questions about whether some Stone Age cutting tools were products of planning or chance.
- Health & Medicine
My mammogram revealed I have dense breasts. What does that mean?
Nearly half of U.S. women have dense breasts. A new FDA rule makes notification of breast density national. Here’s the scoop on why.
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Good with tools? You may be a cockatoo
Editor in chief Nancy Shute talks about smart animals, from tool-using cockatoos to "self-aware" fish.
- Astronomy
A runaway black hole has been spotted fleeing a distant galaxy
A bright streak stretching away from a remote galaxy might be the light from stolen gas and new stars caught in the wake of an escaping black hole.
- Neuroscience
Scientists have mapped an insect brain in greater detail than ever before
Researchers have built a nerve cell “connectivity map” of a larval fruit fly brain. It’s the most complex whole brain wiring diagram yet made.
- Agriculture
Dry farming could help agriculture in the western U.S. amid climate change
Some farmers in the western United States are forgoing irrigation, which can save on water and produce more flavorful fruits and vegetables.
- Paleontology
520-million-year-old animal fossils might not be animals after all
Newly described fossils of Protomelission gatehousei suggest that the species, once thought to be the oldest example of bryozoans, is actually a type of colony-forming algae.
- Climate
How wildfires deplete the Earth’s ozone layer
Scientists detail the chain of chemical reactions that occur when wildfire smoke enters the stratosphere.
