All Stories
- Science & Society
5 decades after his death, George Gamow’s contributions to science survive
George Gamow, irreverent physicist and prolific popularizer, died half a century ago.
- Physics
Here’s how to bend spaghetti to your will
Researchers have discovered how to snap spaghetti sticks without sending bits of pasta flying.
- Animals
Naked mole-rats eat the poop of their queen for parenting cues
Hormones in the naked mole-rat queen’s poop turn subordinate nest-mates into surrogate parents.
- Psychology
‘Replication crisis’ spurs reforms in how science studies are done
Redos of social sciences studies from major journals point to opportunities for improvement.
- Chemistry
See the ‘periodic table’ of molecular knots
A new table of knots points the way to twisting molecules in increasingly complex pretzels.
- Planetary Science
OSIRIS-REx snaps first images of asteroid Bennu
OSIRIS-REx got its first glimpse of near-Earth asteroid Bennu. The probe will collect a sample from the asteroid and return it to Earth.
- Astronomy
Strange gamma rays from the sun may help decipher its magnetic fields
The sun spits out more and weirder gamma rays than anyone expected, which could give a new view of the sun’s magnetic fields.
- Animals
There’s method in a firefly’s flashes
Fireflies use their flashing lights for mating and maybe even to ward away predators.
- Planetary Science
Here’s where the Hayabusa2 spacecraft will land on the asteroid Ryugu
Japan’s Hayabusa2 probe and its landers will touch down on the asteroid Ryugu in the next few months to pick up dust samples and return them to Earth.
- Chemistry
Lithium-oxygen batteries are getting an energy boost
A new version of the lithium-oxygen battery could pack more energy and last longer than its predecessors.
- Life
We may now know when hand, foot and mouth disease outbreaks will occur
Birthrates and immunity rates predict the spread of viruses that cause hand, foot and mouth disease.
- Neuroscience
How antibodies attack the brain and muddle memory
Human antibodies that target key brain proteins cause memory trouble when delivered into mice’s brains.
