Uncategorized
- Animals
Deep-sea Arctic sponges feed on fossilized organisms to survive
Slow-moving sponges, living deep in the Arctic Ocean where no currents deliver food, scavenge a carpet of long-dead critters.
- Science & Society
Military towns are the most racially integrated places in the U.S. Here’s why
The military’s big stick approach allowed the institution to integrate troops and military towns. Can the civilian world follow suit?
By Sujata Gupta - Quantum Physics
The quantum ‘boomerang’ effect has been seen for the first time
Jostled particles return to their starting points in certain materials, an experiment reveals, confirming theoretical predictions.
- Science & Society
How we got from Gregor Mendel’s pea plants to modern genetics
Philosopher Yafeng Shan explains how today's understanding of inheritance emerged from a muddle of ideas at the turn of the 20th century.
- Plants
Earth may have 9,200 more tree species than previously thought
Estimating how many tree species are on Earth is an important step for forest conservation and protecting biodiversity.
By Jude Coleman - Health & Medicine
Why being pregnant and unvaccinated against COVID-19 is a risky combo
Being pregnant puts an individual at higher risk for severe illness and death from COVID-19, but vaccination has lagged among pregnant people.
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How machines help us decipher our genes
Editor in chief Nancy Shute discusses the evolution of the Human Genome Project.
By Nancy Shute - Animals
Male elephant seals aim to get huge or die trying
Males will risk death to eat and grow as large as possible, since only the biggest males mate. But females aim for long-term survival.
By Jake Buehler - Archaeology
‘Origin’ explores the controversial science of the first Americans
A new book looks at how genetics has affected the study of humans’ arrival in the Americas and sparked conflicts with Indigenous groups today.
By Bruce Bower - Health & Medicine
Medical crowdfunding rarely helps those who need it most
People in the U.S. with high medical debt and low insurance coverage are more likely to raise money but less likely to meet goals, a new study finds.
- Climate
Satellites have located the world’s methane ‘ultra-emitters’
Plugging leaks from methane ultra-emitters would make a dent in greenhouse gas emissions — and be cost-effective for those countries, scientists say.