All Stories

  1. Physics

    Scientists Say: Plasma

    In physics, plasma refers to one of the four states of matter. In medicine, plasma describes the part of blood that ferries cells, nutrients and more throughout the body.

    By Maria Temming
  2. Tech

    Tiny swimming robots may help clean up a microplastics mess

    Big problem, tiny solution. Researchers in the Czech Republic have designed swimming robots that can help collect and break down microplastics.

    By Stephen Ornes
  3. Health & Medicine

    Discovering the power of placebos

    If you take a fake pill and expect to feel better, you may. Researchers are learning how this placebo effect works and how to use it to help patients.

    By Kathryn Hulick
  4. Archaeology

    Skeletons point to world’s oldest known shark attacks

    The newfound remains came from people who had lived thousands of years ago in Peru and Japan, half a world apart.

    By Bruce Bower
  5. Humans

    How COVID-19 testing plans can keep kids safe in school

    As U.S. students head back to school, various testing strategies are being rolled out to help keep kids safe during in-person learning.

    By Jonathan Lambert
  6. Humans

    Got back-to-school COVID-19 questions? We’ve got answers

    If everybody masks up at school, that could prevent a bumpy 2021–22 schoolyear. It also could keep safe those students too young to be vaccinated.

    By Sujata Gupta
  7. Materials Science

    Scientists Say: Aerosol

    Aerosols are tiny bits of solids or drops of liquids suspended in gas. Aerosols include mist, fog and soot, as well as pollution from fossil fuels.

    By Bethany Brookshire
  8. Animals

    Tiny animals survive 24,000 years in suspended animation

    Tiny bdelloid rotifers awake from a 24,000-year slumber when freed from the Arctic permafrost.

    By Alison Pearce Stevens
  9. Life

    Some pikas survive winter by eating yak poop

    Pikas endure bone-chilling cold on the Tibetan Plateau by using little energy and fueling up on yak poop.

    By Jonathan Lambert
  10. Environment

    Wildfire smoke seeds the air with potentially dangerous microbes

    Studies now show that most wildfires don’t kill microbes. That’s fueling worries about what risks these smoke hitchhikers might pose to people.

    By Megan Sever
  11. Physics

    Take a look at this weird, bendy type of ice

    These specially grown threads of ice bend into curves, then spring back when released.

    By Emily Conover
  12. Animals

    Analyze This: Sharks aren’t as scary as what you see on TV

    In Shark Week shows, scientists found mixed messages about sharks, insufficient research support and little info on conserving endangered animals.

    By Carolyn Wilke
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