News
- Earth
Polar forests may have just solved a solar storm mystery
Spikes of carbon-14 in tree rings may be linked to solar flares, but evidence of the havoc-wreaking 1859 Carrington event has proven elusive until now.
- Space
During the awe of totality, scientists studied our planet’s reactions
Earth’s atmosphere was a big area of focus for scientists studying the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.
- Environment
Heat waves cause more illness and death in U.S. cities with fewer trees
There are usually fewer trees in neighborhoods with higher populations of people of color. Planting trees could save hundreds of lives every year.
- Science & Society
Your last-minute guide to the 2024 total solar eclipse
From getting eclipse glasses to checking your weather, we’ve got you covered to help you enjoy this incredible solar eclipse.
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How Ötzi the Iceman really got his tattoos
Modern tattooing experiments challenge a popular idea about how the roughly 5,200-year-old mummified man got marked with dark lines.
- Chemistry
Protein whisperer Oluwatoyin Asojo fights neglected diseases
Oluwatoyin Asojo’s work on hookworm protein structures have contributed to a vaccine being tested in people.
- Cosmology
The largest 3-D map of the universe reveals hints of dark energy’s secrets
A year of data from DESI, the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, suggests that, contrary to expectations, dark energy might vary over time.
- Physics
Physicists take a major step toward making a nuclear clock
By tweaking the energy of a thorium nucleus with a laser, scientists demonstrated a key step to building clocks based on the physics of atomic nuclei.
- Astronomy
How a 19th century astronomer can help you watch the total solar eclipse
Astronomer Maria Mitchell’s observations of total solar eclipses from more than 100 years ago hold tips that are still relevant for watching an eclipse.
- Health & Medicine
Bird flu has infected a person after spreading to cows. Here’s what to know
H5N1 has wreaked havoc on birds around the globe and occasionally made the jump to mammals, including cows. The risk to people remains low.
- Health & Medicine
A new study has linked microplastics to heart attacks and strokes. Here’s what we know
Patients with microplastics in their arteries were 4.5 times more likely to have a heart attack, stroke or die within the next three years.
- Life
During a total solar eclipse, some colors really pop. Here’s why
As a solar eclipse approaches totality and our eyes adjust to dimming light, our color vision changes. It’s called the Purkinje effect.
