Biology
Tourists’ Photos Could Help Scientists Understand Whale Sharks
Every year, tourists take approximately a bazillion pictures. Most of them never wind up anywhere but someone's hard drive, never seen again, but some of those pictures might actually be useful. Especially if they're of whale sharks
February 12, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
These Sneaky Toxins Are Slipping Past Food Regulators
Chemical mask-wearing mycotoxins can slip past screening techniques
February 08, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
California’s Gender-Bending Fish Was Actually Just a Contamination Accident
Scientists thought male fish, exposed to artificial hormones, were growing eggs. They weren't
February 08, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Minnesota’s Moose Are Missing, And No One Really Knows Why
Disease? Warm summers? No one knows for sure what is leading to the moose's decline in this state
February 08, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
The Unsettling Beauty of Lethal Viruses
British artist Luke Jerram's handblown glass sculptures show the visual complexity and delicacy of E. coli, swine flu, malaria and other killing agents
February 07, 2013 |
By Claire Tinsley
At 62, the Oldest Bird in the World Is Still Hatching Chicks
Wisdom the 62 year-old albatross just hatched what is thought to be her 30 to 35th chick
February 07, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
How to Sleep Like Salvador Dali
Dali felt as though sleep was a waste of time (so did Edison, and many other influential people) but science suggests that sleep is pretty important
February 07, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Your Playlist Really Does Impact Your Workout
A slow jam won't get you through that third mile, and smooth jazz isn't going to kick that kickboxing workout up a notch. It's not just personal preference either - it's science
February 07, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
The Year’s Most Outstanding Science Visualizations
A juried competition honors photographs, illustrations, videos, posters, games and apps that marry art and science in an evocative way
February 05, 2013 |
By Megan Gambino
What Makes Muscles Twitch?
Whether it's your eyelid twitching, an involuntary shudder, or a muscle elsewhere contracting at random, twitchy muscles happen to everyone. But what are they, and why do they happen?
February 05, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Honey, I Blew Up the Bugs
Italian artist Lorenzo Possenti created 16 enormous sculptures of giant insects, all scientifically accurate, now on display at an Oklahoma museum
February 04, 2013 |
By Megan Gambino
Lemurs Are the Most Endangered Mammals on the Planet, And This Adorable Baby Is Their Future
The vast majority of lemur species are facing extinction, but this baby Coquerel's safika is trying to help
February 01, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Some Microbes Are So Resilient They Can Ride Hurricanes
By comparison, other lifeforms such as fungal spores and pollen don’t thrive nearly as well as the microbes, the survey found.
January 30, 2013 |
By Lauren Kirchner
Beatboxing, as Seen Through Scientific Images
To see exactly how certain sound effects are humanly possible, a team of University of Southern California researchers took MRI scans of a beatboxer in action
January 30, 2013 |
By Megan Gambino
First Signs of Life Found in Antarctica’s Subglacial Lakes
Preliminary tests from subglacial Lake Willard have shown signs of life
January 29, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Mona Lisa Travels by Laser, to Space And Back Again
To test the reaches of laser communication, NASA beamed a digital image of Leonardo da Vinci's famous portrait to a satellite orbiting the moon
January 25, 2013 |
By Megan Gambino
Leave No Dolphin Behind: Dolphin Pod Carries Injured Member Until She Stops Breathing
Watch these dolphins try to save their injured friend
January 25, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
If Cooties Were Real, What Disease Would They Be?
Okay so we all know that cooties aren't real (besides, we've all been vaccinated sufficiently as kids so we're safe). But if they were real, what disease would cooties be?
January 24, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Dogs May Have Evolved From the Wolves Who Liked Eating Trash the Most
There may be an evolutionary reason that your dog eats everything, including the trash
January 24, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
We Can Recognize Our Own Scent
Before this, it wasn't clear how people would react to their own smell or even whether they could recognize it.
January 24, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
