All Stories
- Earth
Expert eavesdroppers occasionally catch a break
Acting Editor in Chief Elizabeth Quill discusses the many ways we watch, listen and learn about science.
- Anthropology
Readers question hominid family tree
Readers sent feedback on hominid origins, fast cameras, slimy sea creatures and more.
- Materials Science
Perovskites power up the solar industry
Perovskites are the latest hot materials in solar energy production.
- Planetary Science
More hints of Martian hot springs may hold promise for Mars 2020 mission
An analysis of ridges in a crater of Margaritifer Terra on Mars offers evidence of ancient hot springs and also hints at the potential for finding signs of life.
- Quantum Physics
Quantum tunneling takes time, new study shows
A new measurement disfavors the idea that electrons can escape atoms instantaneously.
- Health & Medicine
Most football players who donated their brains to science had traumatic injury
A self-selected sample of 202 deceased football players, the largest to date, finds that the majority suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
- Health & Medicine
Add penis bacteria to the list of HIV risk factors
Certain bacteria found on the penis raise the risk of HIV infection, a new study finds.
- Earth
How earthquake scientists eavesdrop on North Korea’s nuclear blasts
Researchers monitor the power and location of underground nuclear weapons testing by North Korea.
- Neuroscience
There’s a long way to go in understanding the brain
Neuroscientists offer multiple “perspectives” on how to plug gaps in current knowledge of the brain’s inner workings.
- Astronomy
‘Making Contact’ chronicles an astronomer’s struggle to find E.T.
For decades, astronomer Jill Tarter led the hunt for extraterrestrial intelligence, as detailed in a new biography.
- Astronomy
Fewer big rogue planets roam the galaxy, recount shows
Jupiter-mass planets without parent solar systems are less common than astronomers thought, a new study suggests.
- Chemistry
Radioactive substances leave electron ‘fingerprints’ behind
A new method of nuclear forensics could make it harder to handle radioactive material in secret.