All Stories

Space

NASA’s budget woes put ambitious space research at risk

Mars Sample Return and missions to study other planets and celestial bodies, including lunar efforts, face big cuts and delays.

Earth

A hidden danger lurks beneath Yellowstone

A volcanic eruption at Yellowstone is unlikely anytime soon, but evidence is growing that a violent hydrothermal, or steam, explosion is possible.

Animals

This snake goes to extremes to play dead — and it appears to pay off

When dice snakes fake their death to avoid predators, those that use a combination of blood, poop and musk spend less time pretending to be dead.

Neuroscience

Lampreys have ‘fight or flight’ cells, challenging ideas about nervous system evolution

The discovery of sympathetic nervous system cells in lampreys draws a closer tie between the animal and complex vertebrates — such as humans.

Climate

As the Arctic tundra warms, soil microbes likely will ramp up CO₂ production

Experiments in mini greenhouses show how the tiny organisms lurking underground in a "sleepy biome" could be a contributor to climate change.

Psychology

Online spaces may intensify teens’ uncertainty in social interactions

Little is known of how teens learn about emotions online and then use that knowledge to cope with social uncertainty during in-person encounters.

Animals

Want to see butterflies in your backyard? Try doing less yardwork

Growing out patches of grass can lure adult butterflies and moths with nectar and offer lawn mower–free havens for toddler caterpillars.

Health & Medicine

College students want to help during an opioid overdose but don’t know how

A survey of college students reported many are comfortable calling emergency services for an overdose, but fewer know how to intervene with naloxone.

Animals

This orangutan used a medicinal plant on his face wound

Rakus the orangutan appeared to be treating a cut to his face with a plant that’s also used in traditional human medicine.

Animals

Belugas may communicate by warping a blob of forehead fat

Jiggling the “melon” like Jell-O seems to be associated with sexual behaviors, scientists say.

Materials Science

Scientists developed a sheet of gold that’s just one atom thick

Ultrathin goldene sheets could reduce the amount of gold needed for electronics and certain chemical reactions.

Health & Medicine

50 years ago, margarine’s ‘healthy’ reputation began to melt away

In the 1970s, scientists began to suspect that margarine was bad for heart health. A key component, artificial trans fat, was a major factor.