All Stories
-
AnimalsHow roaches fight off wasps that turn their victims into zombies
Cockroaches kick attacking emerald jewel wasps to avoid being incapacitated and buried alive as living meat for the wasps’ young.
By Susan Milius -
AstronomyThe planet-hunting Kepler space telescope is dead
The Kepler space telescope is officially out of fuel and will hunt planets no more, NASA announced.
-
EcosystemsHow researchers flinging salmon inadvertently spurred tree growth
Scientists studying salmon in Alaska flung dead fish into the forest. After 20 years, the nutrients from those carcasses sped up tree growth.
-
NeuroscienceYoung people’s memories improved when they stopped using marijuana
After just a week of not using pot, teens’ and young adults’ abilities to remember lists of words got better, a small study finds.
-
AnimalsIf you want to believe your home’s bug free, don’t read this book
‘Never Home Alone’ reveals the hidden world living in human-made spaces.
-
ChemistryNew devices could help turn atmospheric CO2 into useful supplies
New electrochemical cells transform carbon monoxide into useful chemical compounds like ethylene and acetate much more efficiently than their predecessors.
-
ArchaeologyPeople in the Pacific Northwest smoked tobacco long before Europeans showed up
Ancient indigenous groups in the Pacific Northwest used tobacco roughly 600 years before European settlers ventured west with the plant.
-
ArchaeologyAncient South Americans tasted chocolate 1,500 years before anyone else
Artifacts with traces of cacao push back the known date for when the plant was first domesticated by 1,500 years.
By Bruce Bower -
ChemistryZapping substances with electrons can quickly map chemical structures
Speedy molecular identification originally developed for proteins might benefit crime lab researchers and drugmakers.
By Carmen Drahl -
Climate‘18 Miles’ is full of interesting tales about Earth’s atmosphere
The new book ‘18 Miles’ takes readers on a journey through the atmosphere and the history of understanding climate and weather.
By Sid Perkins -
Health & MedicineWhat the approval of the new flu drug Xofluza means for you
Xofluza, the first flu antiviral to be approved in 20 years, works differently from other flu drugs.
-
AnimalsWhile eating, these tiny worms release chemicals to lure their next meal
As they eat insects, one nematode species releases chemicals that attract more insect prey.
By Yao-Hua Law