Feature
- Science & Society
3-D printed ‘ghost guns’ pose new challenges for crime-scene investigators
Researchers are analyzing the ballistics of 3-D printed guns and the plastic they leave behind to help forensic scientists track these DIY weapons.
- Astronomy
How an astrophysicist chased a star from the Halo games to real life
Julián Alvarado Gómez has devoted his career to a star called Iota Horologii. His former life as a Halo video gamer helps fuel that devotion.
- Humans
Culture helps shape when babies learn to walk
The culture in which a baby is raised can accelerate or slow down the development of early motor skills. Does it matter?
- Humans
Textile archaeologists use ancient tools to weave a tapestry of the past
Using tools leftover from ancient spindles and looms, textile archaeologists are starting to understand the fabrics of the past.
- Health & Medicine
How strep throat may spark OCD and anxiety in some kids
A potential link between strep throat and sudden mental disorders in children raises questions about how infections can alter the brain.
- Health & Medicine
How pieces of live human brain are helping scientists map nerve cells
Experiments on live nerve cells — donated from patients undergoing brain surgery — may turn up clues about how the human brain works.
- Science & Society
With nowhere to hide from rising seas, Boston prepares for a wetter future
Boston has armed itself with a science-driven master plan to protect itself from increasingly inevitable storm surges and rising seas.
- Physics
Scientists seek materials that defy friction at the atomic level
Scientists investigate superslippery materials and other unusual friction feats.
- Cosmology
Debate over the universe’s expansion rate may unravel physics. Is it a crisis?
Measurements of the Hubble constant don’t line up. Scientists debate what that means.
- Health & Medicine
Positive attitudes about aging may pay off in better health
Research into the mind-body connection shows that attitude is everything when it comes to healthy aging.
- Planetary Science
Accolades, skepticism and science marked Science News’ coverage of Apollo
Science News’ coverage of the Apollo program stayed focused on the science but also framed the moon missions in the broader social and political context of the era.
- Planetary Science
How NASA has kept Apollo moon rocks safe from contamination for 50 years
NASA wouldn’t let our reporter touch the Apollo moon rocks. Here’s why that’s a good thing.
