All Stories
- Tech
When it comes to self-driving cars, what’s safe enough?
Even as unmonitored self-driving cars take to the streets, there’s no consensus about how safe is “safe enough” for driverless vehicles.
- Plants
The dietary habits of the emerald ash borer beetle are complicated
Tests answer some questions about the emerald ash borer’s hidden taste for olive and fringe trees.
- Animals
Even a tiny oil spill spells bad news for birds
Just a small amount of crude can make birds less active.
- Health & Medicine
Six-month-old babies know words for common things, but struggle with similar nouns
Young babies know a cup of juice from a car, but have a hard time distinguishing more similar nouns, a new study finds.
- Materials Science
This material does weird things under pressure
A new metamaterial has a seemingly impossible property: It swells when squeezed.
- Earth
Watch NASA’s mesmerizing new visualization of the 2017 hurricane season
Swirls of sand, sea salt and smoke make atmospheric currents visible in a new NASA visualization.
- Science & Society
A new map exhibit documents evolving views of Earth’s interior
"Beneath Our Feet" puts maps on display to show how people have envisioned and explored Earth’s subsurface.
- Astronomy
The Arecibo Observatory will remain open, NSF says
The iconic Arecibo radio telescope has survived Hurricane Maria and dodged deep funding cuts.
- Archaeology
Skeletons could provide clues to who wrote or protected the Dead Sea Scrolls
Skeletons suggest a group of celibate men inhabited Dead Sea Scrolls site.
- Animals
The key to breaking down plastic may be in caterpillars’ guts
Caterpillars that feast on plastic have different gut microbes than those that eat a grain-based diet.
- Animals
Fluorescence could help diagnose sick corals
Diseased corals fluoresce less than healthy corals, and a new analysis technique can help spot the reduced glow.
- Genetics
Current CRISPR gene drives are too strong for outdoor use, studies warn
Self-limiting genetic tools already in development may be able to get around concerns surrounding the use of gene drives.
