News
- Physics
To combat an expanding universe, aliens could hoard stars
An advanced alien civilization might combat the impact of dark energy by harvesting stars.
- Planetary Science
Venus’ thick atmosphere speeds up the planet’s spin
Venus’ thick atmosphere can push on mountains on the surface, changing its rotation period by a few minutes every day.
- Psychology
Phone apps are helping scientists track suicidal thoughts in real time
Researchers are using smartphones to tap into the ups and downs of suicidal thinking that occur over hours and days, hoping to help prevent suicides.
- Plants
The most ancient African baobabs are dying and no one knows why
Scientists aren’t sure what’s killing the oldest African baobabs, nine of which have lost big chunks or died in the last 13 years.
- Astronomy
Magnetic fields may be propping up the Pillars of Creation
Scientists made a map of the magnetic field within the Pillars of Creation, a star-forming area depicted in an iconic Hubble Space Telescope image.
- Health & Medicine
The number of teens who report having sex is down
About 40 percent of high school students are having sex, the lowest amount in the last three decades.
- Earth
Underwater fiber-optic cables could moonlight as earthquake sensors
The seafloor cables that ferry internet traffic across oceans may soon find another use: detecting underwater earthquakes.
- Animals
Here’s what narwhals sound like underwater
Scientists eavesdropped while narwhals clicked and buzzed. The work could help pinpoint how the whales may react to more human noise in the Arctic.
- Climate
Antarctica has lost about 3 trillion metric tons of ice since 1992
Antarctica’s rate of ice loss has sped up since 1992 — mostly in the last five years, raising global sea level by almost 8 millimeters on average.
- Environment
Sunshine is making Deepwater Horizon oil stick around
Sunlight created oxygen-rich oil by-products that are still hanging around eight years after the Deepwater Horizon spill.
- Astronomy
The sun shrinks a teensy bit when it’s feeling active
The radius of the sun gets slightly smaller during periods of high solar activity, researchers say.
- Health & Medicine
Kids with food allergies are twice as likely to have autism
Children with food allergies are more likely to have autism than kids without, a study finds. But that doesn’t mean a child will develop the disorder.
