Uncategorized
- Quantum Physics
One of nature’s key constants is much larger in a quantum material
The fine-structure constant is 10 times its normal value in the material, giving a peek into what physics in an alternate universe could look like.
- Health & Medicine
Pfizer says its COVID-19 vaccine is safe and works well for kids ages 5–11
A lower dose of the vaccine produced as many antibodies in elementary school–age kids as a full-dose shot did in teens and young adults.
- Science & Society
The Top 10 scientific surprises of Science News’ first 100 years
In the 100 years since Science News started reporting on it, science has offered up plenty of unexpected discoveries.
- Astronomy
Satellite swarms may outshine the night sky’s natural constellations
Simulations suggest that satellite “mega-constellations” will be visible to the naked eye all night long in some locations.
-
-
- Health & Medicine
By taking on poliovirus, Marguerite Vogt transformed the study of all viruses
She pioneered the field of molecular virology with her meticulous lab work and “green thumb” for tissue culture.
- Paleontology
Fossil tracks may reveal an ancient elephant nursery
Fossilized footprints at a site in Spain include those of an extinct elephant’s newborns, suggesting the animals may have used the area as a nursery.
- Archaeology
Stone Age people used bone scrapers to make leather and pelts
African cave finds include remains of skinned creatures and hide scrapers made from animal ribs.
- Animals
Some birds learn to recognize calls while still in their eggs
For over a decade, behavioral ecologist Diane Colombelli-Négrel and colleagues have been studying how birds perceive sounds before hatching.
- Climate
Australian fires in 2019–2020 had even more global reach than previously thought
Recent devastating wildfires in Australia added vast amounts of carbon dioxide to the air and triggered blooms of marine algae in the Southern Ocean.
- Humans
Fossils and ancient DNA paint a vibrant picture of human origins
Paleoanthropologists have sketched a rough timeline of how human evolution played out, centering the early action in Africa.
