All Stories
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Crossword: Power play
Solve the crossword from our July 2026 issue, in which we encourage our readers to up their game.
- Physics
Here’s what would happen if you tried to break a photon in half
A mathematical model shows that attempting to sever a fundamental particle of light could conjure new ones out of thin air.
- Health & Medicine
No, mastic gum won’t reshape your jaw
Chewing gum made from mastic resin is a Greek staple that has some benefits for the mouth and gut. But it won’t change your face shape.
- Animals
Songs prep the brains of finches yet to hatch for a hot world
Adult finches make "heat calls" as the temperature rises. Exposure to the song prepares their unhatched young's brains for the heat.
- Health & Medicine
Measles has no treatments. Changing that may not be easy
Vaccination remains the priority, but some researchers are looking for drugs to fight the virus in people who don't get the shot.
- Physics
Clocks made from an atomic nucleus just ticked on for the first time
First dreamed up decades ago, the world's first nuclear clocks are set to improve quickly, becoming more precise and aiding the hunt for dark matter.
- Psychology
Neuroscientists left the lab to study memory loss. The results were surprising
Using smartphone-based tools, researchers find that older adults’ recollections of past events may remain more intact than previously thought.
- Health & Medicine
A new guideline links care for heart, kidney and metabolic diseases
A guideline treats heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes and obesity as connected conditions under one umbrella: CKM syndrome.
- Earth
Earth’s stratosphere is a mysterious superhighway for microbes
Well-known microbes that grow on our crops, our gardens, even our skin have been found thriving at two to three times the flying height of a commercial jetliner.
- Health & Medicine
Sleep and exercise may dampen genetic drivers of heart disease
Over time, immune cells acquire mutations that promote atherosclerosis. Lifestyle changes may offset these DNA glitches, new mouse data suggest.
- Health & Medicine
Engineered hookworms could one day dispense drugs from inside your gut
In a first, researchers genetically modified hookworms. It’s a step toward turning the parasites into living pharmacies.
- Paleontology
Frozen squirrel poop hints at sights and smells of Ice Age ecosystems
DNA preserved in ancient scat reveals what Yukon ground squirrels ate and what animals shared their world.
