All Stories
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AnimalsThese huntsman spiders do something weird: live together as a big, happy family
Five unusual species of spider moms let youngsters live at home way past the cute waddling baby phase.
By Susan Milius -
LifeThe top side of an elephant’s trunk stretches more than the bottom
New research on elephant trunks could inspire different artificial skins for soft robots.
By Meghan Rosen -
AstronomyClouds in the Milky Way’s plasma bubbles came from the starry disk — and far beyond
Gas clouds in the Fermi bubbles have a wide range of chemical compositions, suggesting some may have been ripped from other galaxies.
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EnvironmentUnderground heat pollution could be tapped to mitigate climate change
Data from thousands of groundwater well sites in Europe reveal that more than half of the locations possess usable underground heat.
By Nikk Ogasa -
Health & MedicineHere are experts’ answers to questions about COVID-19 vaccines for little kids
Pediatricians recommend that parents vaccinate their kids, toddlers and babies against COVID-19 to protect them from coronavirus infection.
By Meghan Rosen -
AstronomyA fast radio burst’s rapid, steady beat offers a clue to its cosmic origin
Amped-up neutron stars, pairs of magnetically entangled neutron stars or magnetar quakes could explain a three-second-long train of radio blips.
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AnimalsDo gophers farm roots? It’s not as clear as viral articles claim
Pocket gophers aerate and fertilize the soil in a practice that encourages rudimentary food production, researchers claim. But not everyone agrees.
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Science & SocietyIn the battle of human vs. water, ‘Water Always Wins’
In her new book, environmental journalist Erica Gies follows people who are looking for better solutions to extreme droughts and floods.
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TechThis octopus-inspired glove helps humans grip slippery objects
The human hand, for all its deftness, is not great at grasping slippery stuff. A new glove aims to change that.
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AstronomyThe most distant rotating galaxy hails from 13.3 billion years ago
Astronomers have spotted a rotating galaxy whose light comes from just 500 million years after the Big Bang.
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AnimalsTardigrades could teach us how to handle the rigors of space travel
Tardigrades can withstand X-rays, freezing and vacuum. Now researchers are learning how they do it, with an eye toward human space travel.
By Douglas Fox -
Health & MedicineTwo pig hearts were successfully transplanted into brain-dead people
The transplants kept the patients’ blood flowing for three days and are an early step in figuring out if the procedure might work in living people.