News
- Plants
This tentacled, parasitic ‘fairy lantern’ plant is new to science
The bizarre new plant from Malaysia parasitizes subterranean fungi and only briefly erupts from the soil to flower.
By Jake Buehler - Quantum Physics
Physicists measured Earth’s rotation using quantum entanglement
The experiment is a step toward testing how quantum physics interfaces with gravity.
- Paleontology
Early ants may have had complex social lives, fossil data suggests
The earliest ants may have been primed for a highly social life — 100 million years ago, the insects had antennae tuned to key communication functions.
By Jake Buehler - Climate
The Arctic is warming rapidly. These clouds may hold clues as to why
Climate simulations can’t fully handle towering Arctic thunderclouds. So scientists have been flying a C-130 into and around the clouds to learn more.
- Health & Medicine
A malaria drug could be used to treat PCOS, a common hormone disorder
Artemisinin is known to be effective against malaria, lupus, cancer and now possibly polycystic ovarian syndrome.
- Paleontology
‘Echidnapus’ hints at a lost age of egg-laying mammals
The fossil discoveries double the number of known monotreme species during the Cretaceous Period.
- Anthropology
Child sacrifices at famed Maya site were all boys, many closely related
DNA analysis shows victims in one underground chamber at Chichén Itzá included twins, perhaps representing mythological figures.
By Bruce Bower - Health & Medicine
Long COVID finally gets a universal definition
If broadly adopted, this inclusive description of long COVID will help legitimize the ongoing struggles millions of people are facing post-infection.
- Space
Human spaceflight’s new era is fraught with medical and ethical questions
A new project called the Space Omics and Medical Atlas aims to study and document astronaut health as commercial spaceflight starts to take off.
By Adam Mann - Health & Medicine
Gen X has higher cancer rates than their baby boomer parents
An unexplained uptick in cancer diagnoses among Gen Xers might be bad news for millennials and Gen Z.
- Health & Medicine
Can humans get chronic wasting disease from deer?
Tests on brain organoids suggest the disease-causing prions face a tough barrier to infect people, but ruling out transmission is a difficult task.
- Anthropology
Fossil finds amplify Europe’s status as a hotbed of great ape evolution
A kneecap and two teeth belonged to the smallest known great ape, a study contends. If so, it’s the first to coexist with another great ape in Europe.
By Bruce Bower