All Stories
- Genetics
Strict new guidelines lay out a path to heritable human gene editing
But scientists say making changes in DNA that can be passed on to future generations still isn’t safe and effective, yet.
- Space
A weirdly warped planet-forming disk circles a distant trio of stars
The bizarre geometry of a disk of gas and dust around three stars in the constellation Orion could be formed by “disk tearing” or a newborn planet.
- Climate
Bering Sea winter ice shrank to its lowest level in 5,500 years in 2018
Peat cores that record five millennia of climate shifts in the Arctic region suggest recent ice loss is linked to rising carbon dioxide levels.
- Health & Medicine
Steroids reduce deaths of critically ill COVID-19 patients, WHO confirms
The finding strengthens evidence that clinicians should give the drugs to people who are severely sick from the coronavirus.
- Physics
Toy boats float upside down underneath a layer of levitated liquid
The upward force of buoyancy keeps objects afloat even in unusual conditions.
- Physics
Record-breaking gravitational waves reveal that midsize black holes do exist
The biggest merger of two black holes so far raises questions about how the pair of objects came to be.
- Animals
Flamboyant cuttlefish save their bright patterns for flirting, fighting and fleeing
A new field study of flamboyant cuttlefish shows they don’t always live up to their reputation.
- Health & Medicine
50 years ago, scientists were trying to develop a low-emission car
Electric cars have surged in popularity, but the vehicles still contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.
- Archaeology
Stonehenge enhanced sounds like voices or music for people inside the monument
Scientists created a scale model one-twelfth the size of the ancient stone circle to study its acoustics.
- Health & Medicine
New coronavirus tests promise to be faster, cheaper and easier
Researchers are developing a smorgasbord of tests to detect RNA and proteins from the virus that causes COVID-19.
- Health & Medicine
How four summer camps in Maine prevented COVID-19 outbreaks
More than 1,000 kids and staff members from all over the country attended the camps, but only three people ended up testing positive for the virus.
- Humans
Puberty can repair the brain’s stress responses after hardship early in life
Puberty may erase the shadow of trauma for children who had a difficult start.
