Notebook

Health & Medicine

50 years ago, noise was a nuisance (it still is)

In 1966, scientists warned of the physical and psychological dangers of a louder world.

Oceans

Atlantic monument is home to unique and varied creatures

A region of ocean off the coast of Cape Cod has become the first U.S. marine national monument in the Atlantic Ocean.

Plants

Flower lures pollinators with smell of honeybee fear

When it comes to attracting pollinators, one flower species catches more flies with honeybees.

Animals

Extreme bird nests bring comforts and catastrophe

Extreme bird nests of Southern Africa’s weaverbirds offer condo living in tough temperatures.

Tech

Wi-Fi can help house distinguish between members

Using Wi-Fi, computers could one day identify individual family members in a smart home.

Health & Medicine

It’s time to retire the five-second rule

Wet food can slurp bacteria off the floor in less than a second.

Astronomy

Old-school contraptions still work for weighing astronauts

To weigh themselves, astronauts still use technology invented about 50 years ago.

Astronomy

The sun isn’t the only light source behind that summer tan

About 99.999% of the light that creates a suntan comes from the sun; the rest comes from the Big Bang and galaxies throughout the universe.

Genetics

To study Galápagos cormorants, a geneticist gets creative

To collect DNA from four cormorant species, this scientist called in bird scientists far and wide.

Oceans

First U.S. ocean monument named in the Atlantic

A region of ocean off the coast of Cape Cod has become the first U.S. marine national monument in the Atlantic Ocean, President Barack Obama announced.

Paleontology

Pterosaurs weren’t all super-sized in the Late Cretaceous

A 77-million-year-old flying reptile may be the smallest pterosaur of the Late Cretaceous.

Planetary Science

Rock star Freddie Mercury now has his own space rock

Queen front man Freddie Mercury is the latest in a long list of celebrities to have an asteroid named after him.