Notebook

Animals

50 years ago, the U.S. Navy enlisted sea lions and other marine mammals

Today, dolphins and sea lions in the U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program protect harbors and participate in research on animal health and well-being.

Quantum Physics

A maverick physicist is building a case for scrapping quantum gravity

To merge quantum physics and general relativity, physicists aim to quantize gravity. But what if gravity isn’t quantum at all?

Astronomy

50 years ago, astronomers challenged claims that Barnard’s star has a planet

Astronomers have been searching for planets around the sun’s close neighbor for decades.

Space

A telescope dropped dark matter data from the edge of space. Here’s why

Last May, NASA’s Super Pressure Balloon Imaging Telescope crash-landed in rural Argentina. Scientists scrambled to recover the dark matter data aboard.

Animals

This bird hasn’t been seen in 38 years. Its song may help track it down

Using bioacoustics, South American scientists are eavesdropping on a forest in hopes of hearing the song of the long-missing purple-winged ground dove.

Science & Society

Reindeer herders and scientists collaborate to understand Arctic warming

Siberian reindeer herders and scientists are working together to figure out how to predict rain-on-snow events that turn tundra into deadly ice.

Health & Medicine

50 years ago, scientists suspected that lost sense of smell could be restored

Cells responsible for humans’ sense of smell can regenerate. Now, research spurred on by the pandemic could help answer questions about the process.

Environment

Grassland and shrubland fires destroy more U.S. homes than forest fires

Grassland and shrubland fires destroyed nearly 11,000 homes in the contiguous United States from 1990 to 2020.

Planetary Science

50 years ago, the first probe to visit Mercury launched

In the 1970s, NASA’s Mariner 10 became the first spacecraft to visit Mercury. Only one other probe has made the journey and another one is on its way.

Climate

50 years ago, scientists warned of the ‘neglected dangers’ of heat islands

In 1973, scientists knew temperatures in cities were higher than in rural areas. Now, some cities are attempting to cool down with engineering.

Math

An enduring Möbius strip mystery has finally been solved

Playing with paper and scissors helped one mathematician figure out just how short the twisted loops can be.

Physics

50 years ago, scientists dreamed of lasers that could kick off nuclear fusion

In the 1970s, lasers that could initiate nuclear fusion were a distant dream. Now, scientists are using such lasers to achieve fusion “ignition.”