Articles

Languages that evolve at high elevations are more likely to include a sound that’s easier to make when the air is thinner, new research shows.

Do Geography and Altitude Shape the Sounds of a Language?

Languages that evolve at high elevations are more likely to include a sound that's easier to make when the air is thinner, new research shows

A Survey of Women With Broken Bones Shows the Prevalence of Domestic Abuse

One in three women has been the victim of domestic abuse.

The Beck’s Edison Bottle

Beer Bottle Meets 19th-Century Phonograph, Makes Beautiful Music

Engineers and music experts in New Zealand tinkered with the concepts behind Thomas Edison's original phonograph to make a beer bottle sing

Bacteria Makes Squid Sparkly and Sleepy

Bacteria sets up shop in squid to make it sparkle, and also might tell it when to go to sleep

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The Architecture of Superman: A Brief History of The Daily Planet

The real-world buildings that may have inspired Superman's iconic office tower workplace

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Unborn Turtles Actively Regulate Their Own Temperature

Before hatching, a baby turtle can deliberately move between warm and cool patches within its egg--a behavior that may help determine its gender

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Energy Innovation

Document Deep Dive: The Patent for the First Practical Solar Cell

See how three scientists at Bell Laboratories in 1954 invented the silicon solar cell that became the model for converting sunlight into electricity today

This statue of King Kamehameha in Honolulu is paired with another that resides in the U.S. Capitol’s National Statuary Hall.

Happy King Kamehameha Day!

Celebrated in Hawaii and in D.C., June 11 honors the unification of the Hawaiian islands

Do cats always land on their feet? Scientists figured out the answers to this and other pressing questions once and for all.

Do Cats Always Land on Their Feet? (and Other Absurd Scientific Studies)

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Scientists figured the answers to this and other pressing questions once and for all

“Rainbow Ice” is a top selling flavor for Dippin’ Dots.

Is Dippin’ Dots Still the “Ice Cream of the Future”?

How founder and CEO Curt Jones is trying to keep the tiny ice cream beads from becoming a thing of the past

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The Vibrant Patterns of Portuguese Men-of-War

Beachgoers despise the stinging animals, but photographer Aaron Ansarov finds surreal beauty in them

White-tailed deer making do in a harsh winter wonderland.

Deer May Be Peeing Themselves Out of Their Favorite Winter Habitats

Special patches of trees shield deer from harsh winter weather, but deer urine stimulates growth of competitive plants in those havens

The logo for the NSA’s PRISM project

400 Words to Get Up to Speed on Edward Snowden, the NSA And Government Surveillance

NSA's PRISM, monitoring the internet, and the recent history of domestic surveillance

Baltimore’s waste-to-energy station creates energy by incinerating waste. Learn about whether or not this process is right for DC in a talk at the Anacostia Community Center on Tuesday.

Events June 11-13: Waste-to-energy, Teenage History Stars and the World’s Best Nature Photos

This week, learn about an alternative way to save energy, see the work of National History Day contestants and see nature like you've never seen it before

Emerging research indicates that low doses of the active chemical psilocybin can have positive psychiatric effects.

Could “Magic” Mushrooms Be Used to Treat Anxiety and Depression?

Emerging research indicates that low doses of the active chemical psilocybin, found in the fungi, can have positive psychiatric effects

Can this little thing really ride hurricane winds?

How Swarming Drones Can Explore a Hurricane

A University of Florida engineer is building a squadron of hand-sized drones that he says will be able to gather data as they ride on hurricane winds

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Warming, Rising Acidity and Pollution: Top Threats to the Ocean

Since the last World Oceans Day, we've documented trash in the deep sea, sea snails with acid-weakened shells, high ocean temperatures and more

A Galactic GPS System That’s Now in the Works Could Help Our Descendants Navigate Through the Universe

The International Space Station aims to be testing out an interplanetary GPS system by 2017

Designer Kate McLean creates detailed smell maps of cities around the world, such as this map of the the “Smelliest Block in New York.”

Mapping the Smells of New York, Amsterdam and Paris, Block by Block

Designer and cartographer Kate McLean charts the sweet scents and pungent odors that fill a city's olfactory landscape

‘Whoomp! (There It Is)’ Still Makes $500,000 a Year

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