All Stories

  1. Earth

    Earthquake sensor: Taylor Swift fans ‘Shake It Off’

    Scientists determined dancing fans were behind the seismic waves recorded during Swift’s August concerts.

    By Skyler Ware
  2. Math

    Cake-cutting math offers lessons that go far beyond dessert plates

    As a way to study how to fairly share a limited resource, cake-cutting can inform splitting up chores, drawing fair voting districts and more.

    By Stephen Ornes
  3. Health & Medicine

    With measles outbreaks in 49 countries, should you worry?

    By March, the United States had more measles cases than in all of 2023. It was part of a global trend. The way to halt measles’ spread: vaccinations.

    By Alison Pearce Stevens
  4. Archaeology

    A tattoo experiment hints at how Ötzi the Iceman got his ink

    The findings challenge a common idea about how the mummified man got marked with dark lines.

    By Bruce Bower
  5. Artificial Intelligence

    Here’s why AI like ChatGPT probably won’t reach humanlike understanding

    Unlike people, this type of artificial intelligence isn’t good at learning concepts that it can apply to new situations.

    By Tom Siegfried and Maria Temming
  6. Materials Science

    Scientists Say: Semiconductor

    Modern electronics, from cell phones to video games, work thanks to these conductor-insulator hybrids.

    By Katie Grace Carpenter
  7. Animals

    Dancing spiders inspired this biologist to teach others

    Inspired by his research in animal communication, Echeverri began exploring ways to teach others about science while finishing his Ph.D. Today, he shares his passion for spiders as a science communicator.

    By Aaron Tremper
  8. Health & Medicine

    Too much noise can harm far more than our ears

    Sure, loud or unwanted sounds can damage hearing. But they also can disrupt learning, stress us out and more.

    By Lindsey Konkel Neabore
  9. Chemistry

    Air pollution can make it harder for pollinators to find flowers

    Pollutants that build up in night air can break down the scents that attract pollinating hawkmoths to primrose blooms, disrupting their pollination.

    By Saugat Bolakhe
  10. Humans

    Let’s learn about fingerprints

    Researchers are still making new discoveries about how our fingerprints form — and how to use them to solve crimes.

    By Maria Temming
  11. Space

    Did James Webb telescope images ‘break’ the universe?

    James Webb data show bright, massive galaxies that would appear to require new physics to explain. But maybe not, Hubble data suggest.

    By Adam Mann
  12. Tech

    Scientists Say: Digital Footprint

    Your digital footprint contains both what you post online — and information about your online activity collected by others.

    By Aaron Tremper