Uncategorized
- Chemistry
Extreme elements push the boundaries of the periodic table
The hunt for the next elements on the periodic table might turn up superheavy atoms that flaunt the rules of chemistry.
- Genetics
A long handshake can spread your DNA to objects you didn’t touch
Two new studies show that even brief contact with another person or object could transfer your DNA far and wide.
- Health & Medicine
With its burning grip, shingles can do lasting damage
Varicella zoster virus, which causes chickenpox and shingles, may instigate several other problems.
- Science & Society
Scientists set sail for the elusive island of stability
Editor in Chief Nancy Shute discusses the search for the island of stability and the future of the periodic table.
- Animals
‘Mama’s Last Hug’ showcases the emotional lives of animals
In ‘Mama’s Last Hug,’ Frans de Waal argues that emotions occur throughout the animal world.
- Life
Readers ponder mitochondria, Neandertal diets, deep sea corals and more
Readers had questions about mitochondrial DNA, Neandertal diets, deep ocean corals and more.
- Archaeology
Ancient Angkor’s mysterious decline may have been slow, not sudden
Analyzing sediment from the massive city’s moat challenges the idea that the last capital of the Khmer Empire collapsed suddenly.
- Animals
Hermit crabs are drawn to the smell of their own dead
A new study finds that the smell of hermit crab flesh attracts other hermit crabs of the same species desperately looking for a larger shell.
- Health & Medicine
The FDA says don’t buy young plasma therapies. Here’s why
Infusions of plasma from young people may hold the secret of youth, but there’s not much evidence to support the idea yet.
- Planetary Science
Hayabusa2 just tried to collect asteroid dust for the first time
The Japanese Hayabusa2 spacecraft touched down on asteroid Ryugu and attempted to gather a sample of its rock to bring back to Earth.
- Astronomy
Colliding neutron stars shot a light-speed jet through space
A stream of particles created in a neutron star crash, detected in 2017 using gravitational waves, could explain certain mysterious flashes of light.
- Anthropology
African hominid fossils show ancient steps toward a two-legged stride
New Ardipithecus ramidus fossils reveal how hominids were shifting toward humanlike walking more than 4 million years ago.
