Science Visualized

  1. Microbes

    Gut bacteria respect diets, not borders

    Malawian and Guahibo gut microbiomes resembled those of herbivorous mammals, while American guts were more similar to carnivores’.

    By Erika Engelhaupt
  2. Cosmology

    Best maps of the universe, bugs and all

    Maps from the European Space Agency’s Planck satellite reveal the cosmos in a range of microwave and infrared frequencies.

    By Andrew Grant
  3. Ecosystems

    Online map tracks forest shifts from space

    By layering more than 650,000 satellite images onto a Google map, researchers have created a new tool to track forest cover.

    By Meghan Rosen
  4. Astronomy

    Solar explosion forms ‘Canyon of Fire’

    Just when the sun was looking especially lethargic, a violent eruption left behind a vast chasm of superheated gas on the solar surface.

    By Andrew Grant
  5. Animals

    How ticks get under your skin

    A close look at a tick’s mouthparts reveals enviable burrowing tools.

    By Erika Engelhaupt
  6. Planetary Science

    A grander canyon on Mars

    Hebes Chasma, a huge trough on Mars, reflects the Red Planet’s tumultuous and varied past.

    By Sarah Zielinski
  7. Math

    Twin primes

    Mathematicians have conjectured since Euclid’s time that there are infinite pairs of prime numbers.

    By David Harris