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These Sustainable Sneakers Are Made Using Algae

The shoes’ manufacturers harvest harmful algal blooms and turn the goo into footwear

A cyanotype photogram from "Photographs of British Algae."

How the First Female Photographer Changed the Way the World Sees Algae

The groundbreaking photo book by Anna Atkins, a 19th-century British botanist, is going on display in the Netherlands

America's most famous nuclear power plant will close in 2019.

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Three Mile Island to Shutter Its Doors in 2019

It’s been nearly 40 years since the nuclear power plant partially melted down

This is cowpea seed beetle penis, not a weapon from Game of Thrones

New Research

Why Seed Beetles Are Caught in a "Sexual Arms Race"

The strange spiky penis of the cowpea beetle seems to drive the evolution of both male and female beetles

Anything for a snack.

New Research

Monkeys in Bali Swipe Tourists’ Belongings and Barter Them for Snacks

The behavior seems to have become a “cultural tradition” among local group of long-tailed macaques

The Maillard Reaction's best-known application is in tasty, tasty food.

Why Food Smells So Good When It’s Browning

A complex chemical reaction called the Maillard Reaction is responsible

Magnetic field strength throughout the Milky Way in present day

New Research

Supercomputers Create Breathtaking Simulations of Spiral Galaxies

The simulations took months of modeling to complete—and the results can help scientists learn about the formation of galaxies

Jupiter's South Pole is a cluster of dramatic storms.

New Research

New Views of Jupiter Offer Up Marvel and Mystery

From stunning polar images to weird aurorae, the gas giant is even weirder than we thought

Rocket Lab lifts off in New Zealand.

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New Zealand Sent a 3D-Printed Rocket to Space

Will the Electron usher in a new era for satellites?

A man reads a newspaper in Chirakoot, India. In nearby Lucknow, researchers observed brain changes in newly literate adults.

New Research

Learning to Read May Reshape Adult Brains

How literacy changed the bodies of a group of Indian adults

New Research

How Do Flamingos Stay Stable On One Leg?

They're actually more stable standing on one leg than they are on two

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Hospitals Have a Big Problem: Baking Soda

It's common in kitchens, but a nationwide shortage is endangering more than baked goods

A blue whale swims through the Indian Ocean. These massive creatures are the largest animals on Earth.

New Research

Why Did Whales Get So Massive?

The answer is a tale of massive proportions

New Research

Sherpas Evolved to Live and Work at Altitude

The Nepali ethnic group handles oxygen more efficiently, allowing them to more easily live in the mountains

Lizard image produced by light-sensitive bacteria

New Research

Researchers Create Color Images With Bacteria

The art is done by inserting 18 genes into E. coli

The El Graeco jawbone

New Research

Controversial Study Claims Apes and Human Ancestors Split in Southern Europe

Researchers believe these 7.2-million-year-old teeth have a lot to say about human evolution

This spine is the earliest intact reference for how humans' skeletons may have developed.

New Research

This 3.3-Million-Year-Old Hominin Toddler Was Kind of Like Us

Analysis of the ancient spine reveals tantalizing similarities—and questions about human evolution

Space mice snuggle with their Earth-bound mother.

New Research

Why Scientists Sent Mouse Sperm to the International Space Station

Back on Earth, a pile of new pups proves that mouse DNA can survive space

Artist's impression of a comet swarm around Tabby's Star

Trending Today

The “Alien Megastructure” Star Is Acting Up Again

A large dip in the star's brightness suggests something massive is orbiting the fiery body

DISCOVR captured a glint over South America. Scientists now think that horizontal ice crystals in the troposphere account for the phenomenon, which can be viewed from deep space.

New Research

Scientists Finally Figured Out Why Earth Twinkles From Space

Horizontal ice makes the planet sparkle and shine

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