Biology
Amazing Sea Butterflies Are the Ocean’s Canary in the Coal Mine
These delicate and stunning creatures are offering Smithsonian scientists a warning sign for the world's waters turning more acidic
May 14, 2013 |
By Hannah Waters
Why Do We Laugh?
What is the evolutionary purpose of laughter? Are we the only species that laughs?
May 13, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
This Carnivorous Plant Throws Out Its Junk DNA
Complex life is possible without excessive amounts of non-coding DNA
May 13, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Macoto Murayama’s Intricate Blueprints of Flowers
The Japanese artist depicts blossoms from various plant species in fastidious detail
May 10, 2013 |
By Megan Gambino
There Are Just Three Males of This Endangered Fish Left, And the London Zoo Is on a Global Hunt to Find a Lady
There are just three fish of this species left in the world, and they're all males.
May 10, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
How Much Do We Really Know About Your Tongue?
This new model is the most complete guide for understanding the "complex interweaving" of our tongue muscles
May 09, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
How Motherhood Makes You Smarter
New studies on rats show that being a mom does more than change her body, it may maximize her brainpower too
May 09, 2013 |
By Megan Gambino
You Totally Would Have Wanted This Little Dome-Headed Dinosaur as a Pet
Just 90 pounds and 6 feet tall, this newly discovered dinosaur is the oldest of its kind
May 08, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
This New Drug Neutralizes Heroin Before Users Feel the High
By binding the psychoactive ingredients in the blood, heroin can't affect the users' brain
May 08, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Sometimes Male Spiders Eat Their Mates, Too
Many female arthropods - black widows, praying mantises - eat their male mates, but sometimes the reverse is true
May 08, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Cavemen Used Some of the Same Words We Do
Our modern language still has some remnants of the grunting cavemen who came before us
May 07, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
How Many Weddings Will the Cicadas Ruin This Summer?
Late spring is when the 17 year cicadas come out. It also happens to be a popular time for weddings
May 07, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
On the International Space Station, Glow-in-the-Dark Plants Let You Know When They’re Stressed
To fight climate change or to grow crops in space, we need to know how plants respond to stress
May 06, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Creepy or Cool? Portraits Derived From the DNA in Hair and Gum Found in Public Places
Artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg reconstructs the faces of strangers from genetic evidence she scavenges from the streets
May 03, 2013 |
By Megan Gambino
The Cicadas are Coming, And So Are the Terrifying Spores That Eat Them Alive
The cicadas have been waiting for 17 years. This deadly fungus has been waiting for them
May 03, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Breast Milk Protein Could Help Fight Superbug
By delivering antibiotics alongside a protein found in breast milk, researchers could fight MRSA in mice
May 02, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Want to See How an Artist Creates a Painting? There’s an App for That
The Repentir app reveals an artist's creative process by allowing users to peel back layers of paint with the touch of their fingertips
May 02, 2013 |
By Marina Koren
High Fructose Corn Syrup May Be Partly Responsible for Bees’ Collapsing Colonies
High fructose corn syrup, the sugary compound in soda, is also fed to bees
May 01, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Microbes: The Trillions of Creatures Governing Your Health
Scientists are just now beginning to recognize the importance of the vast community of microbes that dwells inside us
May 2013 |
By Richard Conniff
