All Stories
- Tech
Pickleballs inspire a new way to reduce drag on vehicles
Dimples in a skin can be adjusted on demand to reduce drag or to steer where a vehicle goes.
- Chemistry
Newfound ‘anti-spice’ compounds tame chili peppers’ heat
Five compounds make some chili peppers taste less spicy than others. Scientists are still figuring out why.
- Space
Scientists Say: Lagrange point
Between and around a two-body system — such as the Earth and sun — there are five points of prime celestial real estate.
- Space
Megastars shredded by black holes offer new type of cosmic explosion
Called extreme nuclear transients, these events are 30 to 1,000 times as bright as supernovas — and their glow may persist for a year or more.
- Animals
Frogs evolved a wide variety of vocal sacs to amplify their ribbits
Maybe you've seen frogs with ballooning throats, but what about pop-out poofs and fat ear bumps?
- Humans
Vacation could provide teens time to practice independence
A poll shows U.S. parents are reluctant to let teens go places alone on vacation. Giving teens more independence may help their mental health.
- Physics
How polarized and UV-blocking sunglasses protect our eyes
Their filters can cut glare to help us see more clearly. The best ones also filter out the sun’s UV rays — even on cloudy days — to limit eye damage.
- Animals
Scientists Say: Kleptopredation
It’s a hunter-eat-hunter world out there, and this feeding strategy gives some double-dipping predators a competitive edge.
- Health & Medicine
TikTok skincare routines may cause more harm than good
Many videos used lots of costly skincare products full of potential irritants. And most left out the most important way to care for your skin: sun protection.
- Animals
Young capuchins are kidnapping baby howler monkeys
The disturbing habit has emerged among capuchin monkeys on a remote island off Panama. Scientists are baffled — and concerned.
- Math
Experiment: M&M’S geometry
The amount of candy in an M&M’S bag is never enough, but just how much is it? Let’s find out which geometric formula gives the best estimate.
- Fossils
North American rhinos once gathered in large, hippo-like herds
The stumpy-legged rhinos survived until about 12 million years ago, when a supervolcano’s ashfall smothered their world.
