Mystery Solved
- Physics
Raindrops kick up soil chemicals
The champagne-like fizz produced when a raindrop hits the ground may be responsible for the earthy aroma after a rainstorm.
- Animals
Earth’s magnetic field guides sea turtles home
Over 19 years, geomagnetic fields changed slightly and so did loggerheads’ nesting sites.
- Earth
Death Valley’s sailing stones caught on the move
Mysterious sailing stones wandering around Death Valley are powered by ice and wind.
- Paleontology
Baby mammoths died traumatic deaths
CT scans show that two young mammoths probably suffocated.
- Psychology
How string quartets stay together
New data tracking millisecond-scale corrections suggests that some ensembles are more autocratic — following one leader —while other musical groups are more democratic, making corrections equally.
- Animals
Synchronous birth
For young banded mongoose moms, there’s only one choice for when to give birth — the same day as older, dominant mothers. In communities of these cat-sized animals, all females give birth together, no matter when they became pregnant.
- Physics
Transfixing tetrahedrons
Dervishes are Sufi Muslims who represent the revolving heavens with their spinning dance.
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- Physics
Ripple effect
If you want ripples in your icicles, just add salt. This recipe comes from physicists reporting in the October New Journal of Physics.
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- Paleontology
Dinosaur dreams dashed
Fans of 'Jurassic Park' may be disappointed (or possibly relieved) to learn that you can’t get ancient DNA from amber.
