All Stories
- Computing
Shayan Oveis Gharan finds the shortest route to success
Theoretical computer scientist Shayan Oveis Gharan has identified connections between unrelated fields to tackle the traveling salesman problem.
- Oceans
Melissa Omand’s clever tech follows the fate of ocean carbon
Drawn to the water early, oceanographer Melissa Omand now leads research cruises studying how carbon and nutrients move through the seas.
- Physics
Tenio Popmintchev fits X-ray laser on a tabletop
Laser physicist Tenio Popmintchev has created a Swiss-army-knife tool made of light.
- Life
How one scientist’s gut microbes changed over a year
Computational biologist Lawrence David chronicled changes in his gut microbes for a year.
- Cosmology
A cosmic quandary, risks of hatching early and more reader feedback
The cosmos, tadpole escape artists, vehicle collisions and more in reader feedback.
- Ecosystems
Shrinking sea ice threatens natural highways for caribou, plants
As Arctic sea ice declines, Peary caribou or plants risk getting stranded when their frozen highways thaw.
- Health & Medicine
Activity trackers fall short in weight-loss trial
In a two-year study, wearable activity monitors didn’t help young adults lose more weight.
- Astronomy
The sun isn’t the only light source behind that summer tan
About 99.999% of the light that creates a suntan comes from the sun; the rest comes from the Big Bang and galaxies throughout the universe.
- Earth
Primordial continental crust re‑created in lab
Compressing rocks from an ocean plateau at high temperatures and pressures re-creates the formation of Earth’s first continental crust.
- Plants
‘The Long, Long Life of Trees’ takes readers on a walk in the woods
The Long, Long Life of Trees explores the scientific, historical and cultural significance of apple, birch, elm and 14 other kinds of trees.
- Astronomy
Vanished star may be first known failed supernova
A star that vanished in another galaxy might be the first confirmed case of a failed supernova — and the birth of a black hole.
- Climate
Arctic sea ice shrinks to second-lowest low on record
A warm summer helped shrink sea ice in the Arctic Ocean to a statistical tie with 2007 for the second smallest sea ice minimum on record.
