Life
- Plants
The faster trees grow, the younger they die
As climate change spurs forest tree growth, it also shortens trees’ lives. That results in a quicker release of climate-warming carbon back into the atmosphere.
- Health & Medicine
Some Neandertal genes may up the risk of severe COVID-19
Most of the affected people descend from communities in South Asia or live in Europe today.
- Animals
Whales get a second life as deep-sea buffets
When a whale dies and sinks to the seafloor, it becomes a feast for hundreds of different types of creatures.
- Health & Medicine
Let’s learn about bones
Bones hold us up and help us fight gravity with every step. They also make blood cells, hormones and more.
- Ecosystems
Scientists Say: Desert
Deserts are ecosystems that get less than 250 millimeters (10 inches) of precipitation per year.
- Fossils
This ancient reptile’s last meal may have truly been a killer
An ichthyosaur’s eyes were too big for its stomach. And that may have led to this ancient reptile’s death.
- Chemistry
2020 chemistry Nobel goes for CRISPR, the gene-editing tool
Only eight years after its development, CRISPR has revolutionized genetics. It also just brought Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna acclaim.
- Health & Medicine
Trio wins 2020 Nobel for discovery of hepatitis C
It took 50 years from discovery of hepatitis C to its cure. For their pivotal work in this area, three men will take home a 2020 Nobel Prize.
- Archaeology
See what these animal mummies are keeping under wraps
A new method of 3-D scanning mummified animals reveals life and death details of a snake, a bird and a cat that lived in ancient Egypt.
- Animals
A wasp nibbled a baby bird for breakfast
Scientists found an injured baby bird in a nest they were studying. The culprit wasn’t another bird or a reptile. It was a wasp.
- Science & Society
Scientists Say: Theory
A theory is an explanation of how part of the world works. It’s one that’s been tested many times and in many ways.
- Brain
Confidence can make you miss important information
Being confident can feed a confirmation bias in us, new studies show. This bias can make your brain ignore other people’s ideas and any conflicting information.
