All Stories

Health & Medicine

Here’s how a new sleeping bag could protect astronauts’ eyesight

A new sleeping bag could avoid vision problems on long space flights due to microgravity. It counters a fluid buildup behind astronauts’ eyes.

Physics

Explainer: Gravity and microgravity

The force of gravity holds us on the ground, keeps planets in orbit and extends throughout space. A very weak gravitational pull is called microgravity.

Psychology

New training builds ‘mental’ muscles in athletes

The training builds focus and resiliency while limiting the self-doubt that can cripple competitors’ ability to perform at their peak.

Animals

Mysterious kunga is the oldest known human-bred hybrid animal

People bred these animals — part donkey, part wild ass — some 4,500 years ago, probably for use in fighting wars.

Science & Society

Let’s learn about the science of the Winter Olympics

From scientific innovations to climate change and weather, there’s plenty of science to be found among the feats of amazing athleticism.

Ecosystems

Scientists Say: Decay

This word can refer to rotting flesh or the transformation of radioactive atoms.

Earth

Volcanic avalanches may be more destructive than previously thought

Pressures within these pyroclastic flows may be as much as three times as high as observations had suggested.

Genetics

DNA in air can help ID unseen animals nearby

Analyzing these genetic residues in air offers a new way to study animals. It could give scientists a chance to monitor rare or hard to find animals.

Animals

Living mysteries: Why teeny-weeny tardigrades are tough as nails

Tardigrades often live in cool, damp moss. Their cushy life has somehow prepared them to survive the lethal radiation of outer space.

Brain

Nodding off may turn your creativity on

In an experiment, people who fell into a shallow sleep were more likely than non-sleepers or deep sleepers to discover a sly math trick.

Humans

Explainer: How loud is too loud?

Loud sounds, be it music or noise, might seem like no big deal at the time. But permanent damage can occur without noticeable warning signs.

Earth

The ‘Doomsday’ glacier may soon trigger a dramatic sea-level rise

The ice shelf that had kept it in place could fail within five years. That would speed the glacier’s slip into the ocean, boosting a rise in sea levels.