All Stories by Maria Temming
- Planetary Science
NASA’s DART spacecraft just smashed into an asteroid — on purpose
If the first-ever attempt to knock a space rock off course works, it could provide a blueprint to protect Earth from a killer asteroid.
- Particle Physics
50 years ago, physicists got a whiff of what glues together protons
In 1972, particle smashups hinted at the gluon, which we now know not only holds together the innards of the proton, but also makes up more than a third of its mass.
- Paleontology
Living fast may have helped mammals like ‘ManBearPig’ dominate
Staying in the womb for a while but being born ready to rock may have helped post-dinosaur mammals take over the planet.
- Paleontology
50 years ago, the dinosaurs’ demise was still a mystery
In 1972, scientists blamed dinosaur biology for the reptiles’ demise. Years later, researchers ID’d the real killer: an apocalyptic asteroid.
- Tech
This octopus-inspired glove helps humans grip slippery objects
The human hand, for all its deftness, is not great at grasping slippery stuff. A new glove aims to change that.
- Tech
Scientists grew living human skin around a robotic finger
In the hopes of one day building super realistic cyborgs, researchers built a robotic finger that wears living human skin.
- Plants
These are the first plants grown in moon dirt
The first attempt to grow plants in Apollo samples from the moon shows the promise and potential struggles of farming in lunar soil.
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50 years ago, scientists thought a desert shrub might help save endangered whales
Fifty years ago, scientists sought a sustainable alternative to prized oil from endangered sperm whales.
- Animals
Here’s how boa constrictors squeeze their dinner without suffocating themselves
Carefully controlled breathing allows boa constrictors to pull off their signature move without cutting off their own air supply.
- Science & Society
How Science News has been a training ground for young science journalists
A long-standing internship along with informal mentorship are part of the tradition at Science News.
- Science & Society
We’re celebrating a century of Science News
Across a century of science journalism, Science News has covered the Scopes trial, the moonwalk, Dolly the Sheep and more.
- Quantum Physics
A new gravity sensor used atoms’ weird quantum behavior to peer underground
Quantum sensors promise to be more accurate and stable in the long run than other gravity probes.
