Science Visualized
- Tech
CT scans show first X-rayed mummy in new light
An ancient Egyptian child became the first mummy to be X-rayed in 1896. Today, CT scans reveal new insights into the child’s life — and death.
- Life
How one scientist’s gut microbes changed over a year
Computational biologist Lawrence David chronicled changes in his gut microbes for a year.
- Animals
Tiny structures give a peacock spider its radiant rump
Peacock spiders use pigments and complex nanostructures to achieve bright dance costumes.
- Planetary Science
Spacecraft reveal diversity in solar system’s landscapes
The latest generation of interplanetary spacecraft have revealed diverse landscapes on planets, asteroids and comets throughout the solar system.
- Computing
Supersmall device uses individual atoms to store data
Scientists manipulate chlorine atoms to store data on a supersmall device.
- Animals
How Houdini tadpoles escape certain death
High-speed video of red-eyed tree frog embryos reveals the secrets to their getaway plans.
- Animals
What animals’ life spans can tell us about how people age
The animal world can offer insights into human longevity.
- Planetary Science
The 43-year history of journeys to Jupiter, in one graph
With the arrival of Juno, nine spacecraft will have flown past or orbited Jupiter over the last 43 years.
- Earth
A third of the population can’t see the Milky Way at night
Light pollution conceals the Milky Way’s star-spangled core from more than a third of Earth’s population, a global atlas of artificial sky luminance reveals.
- Materials Science
Butterfly-inspired nanostructures can sort light
Scientists re-created a nanostructure found on butterflies that can separate out circularly polarized light, a characteristic that may be useful for telecommunications.
- Oceans
Here’s where 17,000 ocean research buoys ended up
A combined look at 35 years’ worth of ocean buoy movements reveals the currents that feed into ocean garbage patches.
- Plants
Here’s what a leaf looks like during a fatal attack of bubbles
Office equipment beats synchrotrons in showing how drought lets air bubbles kill the water-carrier network of veins in plant leaves.
