Notebook
- Space
50 years ago, astronomers saw the surface of a distant star for the first time
In the 1970s, technological advances let scientists peer through stars’ atmospheres. Now, scientists can measure roiling gas in the stars themselves.
- Health & Medicine
During an allergic response, some immune cells digest others
Mast cells lure and trap other immune cells during allergic reactions, using their compounds to increase inflammation in a process dubbed nexocytosis
- Plants
Meet a scientist tracking cactus poaching in the Atacama Desert
Botanist Pablo Guerrero has been visiting Atacama cacti all his life. They’re not adapting well to a drier climate, booming mining and plant collection.
- Particle Physics
50 years ago, physics underwent a major revolution
The discovery of new subatomic particles cemented quarks as a cornerstone of the standard model of particle physics.
- Health & Medicine
Dengue is classified as an urban disease. Mosquitoes don’t care
Infectious diseases are often labeled “urban” or “rural.” Applying political labels to public health misses who is at risk, experts argue.
- Health & Medicine
50 years ago, U.S. drinking water sparked health and safety concerns
The discovery of potential cancer-causing agents in tap water led to the Safe Drinking Water Act — a law that continues protecting public health.
- Planetary Science
50 years ago, scientists found a new moon orbiting Jupiter
In 1974, astronomers discovered Jupiter’s 13th moon. They now know of at least 95 moons and have launched missions to study some up close.
- Math
Two teenagers have once again proved an ancient math rule
Ne’Kiya Jackson and Calcea Johnson have published 10 trigonometric proofs of the Pythagorean theorem, a feat thought impossible for 2,000 years.
- Health & Medicine
50 years ago, chronic pain mystified scientists
Chronic pain has puzzled scientists for decades, but diagnoses and treatments have come a long way.
- Planetary Science
NASA’s Europa mission is a homecoming for one planetary astronomer
Over her long career, Bonnie Buratti has seen the search for life in the solar system go from a joke to a flagship mission.
- Science & Society
There’s a new term for attempting to own the wind: ventography
Nations established territorial claims underground to access oil and gas. Now they are expanding those claims upward to snag the wind.
- Space
50 years ago, satellites threatened astronomers’ view of the cosmos
As satellite launches ramp up and the spacecraft clog the skies, astronomers fear for their data.
