Physics
- Planets
Physics Nobel rewards discoveries on cosmic evolution and exoplanets
This trio of scientists helped figure out the makeup of our universe. Two of them also identified the first known exoplanet orbiting a sunlike star.
- Planets
Preserving remnants of human culture on the moon
Artifacts left behind by lunar landings have value to research and human history. Scientists now want to preserve those cast-offs while also learning from them.
- Tech
This robot catches jellyfish with a gentle ‘hug’
A soft robotic hand gently catches jellyfish by trapping the creatures within its silicone fingers.
- Health & Medicine
Ultrasound might become a new way to manage diabetes
Ultrasound turns on production of the hormone insulin in mice. Someday, it might help maintain healthy blood-sugar levels in people who were recently diagnosed with diabetes.
- Health & Medicine
Explainer: What is ultrasound?
These sound waves, which fall above the range of human hearing, are important in medicine, medical imaging and more.
- Materials Science
Scientists Say: Crystal
The atoms or molecules in crystals take on a particular, repeatable pattern.
- Space
Could humans build a tall tower or giant rope to space?
The movie Ad Astra shows a space antenna, a spindly structure reaching up into the stars. We look at what it would take to build something that big.
- Animals
High-speed camera reveals the secrets of a legless larva’s leap
Research reveals how a blob of an insect can leap more efficiently than it crawls. Its body acts like a spring.
- Chemistry
Chemists have created a ring-shaped form of carbon
A ring-shaped carbon molecule takes its place among buckyballs, carbon nanotubes and other odd forms of the element.
- Materials Science
High-tech crops may survive harsh conditions, even space
Scientists have developed a non-invasive method for integrating metal-organic frameworks into plant tissue. This lays the foundation for resilient crops that can weather harsh conditions.
- Physics
This idea would turn the Earth into a giant space telescope
One astronomer has a bold solution to getting around the high cost of building big telescopes.
- Earth
Americans consume some 70,000 microplastic particles a year
The average American consumes more than 70,000 microplastic particles a year. Scientists hope this estimate will spur others to look at health risks.
