News

  1. Earth

    Metal pollution from a rocket reentry detected for the first time

    Direct detection of lithium from a SpaceX rocket reentry offers new evidence that metal pollution from space debris could threaten the ozone layer.

    By Adam Mann
  2. Physics

    Here’s why sneakers squeak on the basketball court

    Tiny, repeating detachments between sole and floor — thousands of times a second — create the distinctive squeak heard on the court, data show.

    By Emily Conover
  3. Animals

    Keeping a beat wins caterpillars friends in low places

    Finding a caterpillar with rhythm was “mind-blowing,” suggesting it might be a more widespread part of animal communication than thought.

    By Jake Buehler
  4. Life

    An African monkey ate a rope squirrel and came down with mpox

    Fecal analyses and necropsies suggest a fire-footed rope squirrel was the source of a 2023 mpox outbreak among sooty mangabeys in Côte d’Ivoire.