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Stories from Sara Hashemi

The human genome is made up of about three billion pairs of DNA units called nucleotides.

Google Researchers Say Their New A.I. Tool AlphaGenome Can Help Decode the Human Genetic Instruction Book

The computer model might help scientists better understand the biological impacts of typos in DNA

Researchers traced a pathway between the heart and the brain.

After a Heart Attack, the Brain’s Response Might Make Recovery Harder. Cutting Some Communication Between the Organs Could Help

The new study in mice could lead to innovative treatments for heart attacks

An image containing nearly 800,000 galaxies from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, overlaid with dark-matter clumps shown in blue

See the Most Detailed Map of Dark Matter Ever Made, Bringing Astronomers a Step Closer to Unraveling Its Mysterious Nature

The invisible stuff makes up about 85 percent of all matter in the universe, but researchers know little about it

The Valles Marineris canyon system, where the scientists focused their study

Three Billion Years Ago, Mars May Have Been Half Covered by a Sea the Size of the Arctic Ocean

Data from several probes studying the Red Planet helped geologists map what seems to be an ancient coastline

Shenzhou-15 spacecraft debris streaked across the sky above California in April 2024. 

Sonic Booms and Earthquake Sensors Can Help Researchers Track Space Junk as It Plummets to Earth

Falling debris can travel at about 30 times the speed of sound, creating sonic booms that shake the ground

More than 1.8 billion people lived under drought conditions in 2022 and 2023, according to a report from the United Nations.

United Nations Declares That the World Has Entered an Era of ‘Global Water Bankruptcy’

We’re living beyond our hydrological means and need to focus on long-term recovery, according to a new report

A six-fingered version of the robotic hand

This Detachable Robotic Hand Can Scurry Around and Grasp Objects Just Like Thing From the Addams Family

With up to six fingers that can bend in multiple directions, the innovative tool could one day be used to carry out tasks in tight spaces

Veronika scratches her back. 

A Cow Named Veronika Can Scratch Her Back With a Broom. Watch the Video That Scientists Are Calling the First Documented Evidence of Cattle Using Tools

The pet cow’s tool use challenges long-held assumptions about bovine intelligence

A reconstruction of what Manipulonyx reshetovi may have looked like

This Dinosaur May Have Used Its Strange Clawed Hands to Pilfer and Pierce Eggs

A fresh analysis of a fossil found almost 50 years ago reveals a newly described genus named for its “manipulating claw”

Dealing with centuries of darkness and eye parasites doesn't seem to affect Greenland sharks' vision.

Greenland Sharks Can Survive for Centuries—and Maintain Long-Lasting Vision, Despite Living in the Dark

The long-living sharks aren’t as blind as once thought and have DNA repair mechanisms that may help prevent their vision from degrading, a study suggests

A neural circuit that processes motivation and reward seems to act as a "brake" when faced with an unpleasant task, a study suggests.

Can’t Get Started on a Daunting Task? This Brain Circuit That Slams the Brakes on Motivation Might Be to Blame

Monkey experiments hint at a “motivation brake” pathway between two brain regions. Manipulating it may lead to new treatments for depression and other psychiatric conditions

Cloud-9, shown in magenta. The circle represents the region where researchers focused their search for stars—the peak of radio emission.

Astronomers Find an Odd Space Cloud, Like a Galaxy Without Stars, That Could Shed Light on the Secrets of Dark Matter

Named “Cloud-9,” the discovery is a new type of celestial object known as a RELHIC, which is unlike anything scientists have ever observed

Same-sex behaviors seem to be common among rhesus macaques.

Biologists Reveal How Same-Sex Sexual Behavior May Have Given Some Primates an Evolutionary Advantage

Nonhuman primates like bonobos and chimpanzees might engage in same-sex sexual activities to strengthen bonds, particularly in harsh environments or within strict social structures, a new study suggests

Three-dimensional reconstructions of the rockhead poacher's insides hint that the fish may beat its cranial pit like a drum

This Bizarre Fish Has a Hole in Its Head. The Creature Might Use It Like a Drum to Rock Out

The rockhead, or deep-pitted, poacher may use its ribs to beat the inside of its head cavity to communicate with other creatures, according to a new study

The Teal Wand is the only self-collection device for HPV testing approved by the Food and Drug Administration for at-home use.

Many Americans Will Soon Have Access to At-Home Cervical Cancer Screening Tests at No Cost

U.S. guidance announced on Monday recommends self-collection of samples to test for HPV, the virus that often causes cervical cancer. Private insurers must cover the costs of the swab kits by 2027

A satellite view of a phytoplankton bloom in the Southern Ocean

Earthquakes Deep Below Antarctic Waters Seem to Have Surprising Effects on Life at the Surface

Quakes may cause ocean floor vents to release more nutrients, triggering blooms in plantlike organisms called phytoplankton in the Southern Ocean

The two cubs in their indoor den 

Meet the National Zoo’s Adorable 1-Month-Old Sloth Bear Cubs—the First Born There in More Than a Decade

The cubs will spend the next few months with their mother before debuting to the public

A humpback whale off the coast of Iceland

By Collecting Whale Breath, Researchers Detected a Deadly Virus in the Arctic for the First Time

Flying a drone with Petri dishes above exhaling whales helped scientists identify a dangerous pathogen that can damage the animals’ respiratory, immune and nervous systems

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A Rare, Parasitic ‘Fairy Lantern’ Plant Species Was Discovered in Malaysia. It Might Be Critically Endangered

The plant was first spotted near a popular picnic site within a forest. But subsequent surveys have found fewer than 20 individuals of the species, named Thismia selangorensis

The researchers examined 3D reconstructions of hundreds of ant exoskeletons.

Some Ants Sacrifice Stronger Exoskeletons for Larger Colonies, Which May Help Them Take Over New Environments

Species with thinner protective barriers may need fewer resources and tend to have a greater ability to adapt to new habitats, a study suggests

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