All Stories
- Planetary Science
50 years ago, scientists found a new moon orbiting Jupiter
In 1974, astronomers discovered Jupiter’s 13th moon. They now know of at least 95 moons and have launched missions to study some up close.
- Space
A distant quasar’s black hole is oddly huge for its galaxy
The black hole’s mass is over half that of all the stars in the surrounding galaxy, a record for any galaxy hosting a quasar.
- Health & Medicine
Limiting sugar in infancy reduces the risk of diabetes and hypertension
Children who experienced sugar rationing during World War II were less likely to develop some chronic illnesses as adults than those with no rationing.
- Animals
A single enzyme can alter the vibrant colors in parrot plumage
Tweaking the chemical composition of a parrot-specific pigment can shift feathers from red to yellow or green.
- Life
Backyard explorers discovered 15 new examples of glowing life
New finds in the Finding Fluorescence site include a Japanese beetle with a glowing blue mouth and a mushroom that gleamed bright red under its cap.
- Animals
This marine biologist discovered a unique blue whale population in Sri Lanka
In addition to studying the world’s only nonmigratory blue whales, marine biologist Asha de Vos seeks to change her compatriots’ attitudes toward the ocean.
- Paleontology
‘Uncovering Dinosaur Behavior’ unearths paleontology’s biases
Paleontologist David Hone’s latest book fleshes out our understanding of dinosaur behavior.
- Life
The oldest known fossil tadpole was a big baby
Fossils of the ancient frog Notobatrachus degiustoi push the known tadpole timeline back more than 30 million years.
- Science & Society
Using AI, historians track how astronomy ideas spread in the 16th century
A new AI machine learning technique helped historians analyze 76,000 pages from astronomy textbooks spanning nearly two centuries.
- Animals
These hornets may be the alcohol-detox champs of the animal world
Vespa orientalis fed an 80-percent-ethanol brew still did hornet tasks and had normal life spans. This trick may be an adaptation to gut-dwelling yeast.
- Animals
Giant rats could soon help sniff out illegally smuggled goods
African giant pouched rats can detect landmines and diseases. Now some have been trained to sense elephant ivory, pangolin scales and more.
- Archaeology
A race to save Indigenous trails may change the face of archaeology
As construction of a pipeline nears, an effort to preserve an Indigenous trail in Canada tests whether heritage management can keep up with advances in archaeology.
