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This Clever Augmented Reality System Lets Drivers See Through Cars

One day, augmented reality may help drivers know when to pass up a slow truck on a two-lane road

The In-Depth Science of Why a Beer Bottle Erupts When You Whack It

More than you ever thought you needed to know about the physics of erupting beer bottles

Fire Is a Quickly Growing Threat to the Amazon Rainforest

If the Amazon continues to dry at just half the pace as it has over the past 30 years, yearly drought will become the new norm by the end of this century

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This Six-Year-Old Ran a Half Marathon in Under Three Hours

Keelan Glass finished her recent half marathon in 2:47:30

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Australia’s Military Accidentally Set the Country on Fire

Australia’s largest wildfire is the result of a weapons test gone awry

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Bacon Boosts Recipe Ratings

Sandwiches, kale, lettuce, asparagus and spinach all benefit from a bit of bacon, according to aggregate recipe ratings

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Preview the Portrait Gallery’s Dancing the Dream

The pioneers of American dance—from Bob Fosse to Beyoncé—are showcased now through July 2014 at the National Portrait Gallery

Yellowstone Bears Actually Eat Moths for Food

It turns out that bears can eat 40,000 moths a day

Future of Energy

Can an Algae-Powered Lamp Quench Our Thirst For Energy?

A French chemist is developing street lights that can absorb carbon dioxide 200 times more efficiently than trees

New research shows that eucalyptus trees can absorb gold particles in their roots and transport them up to their leaves, a finding that could be a boon for mining companies.

Gold Particles in Eucalyptus Trees Can Reveal Deposits Deep Underground

The plants can absorb gold particles in their roots and transport them up to their leaves—a finding that could be a boon for mining companies

A street scene in Harbin

Air Pollution Closed Schools in China

Officials blamed the influx of smog on three factors—windless conditions, bonfires of harvested corn stalks and a fired-up municipal heating system

Dinosaur Poachers Are Stealing Fossils, And It’s Hurting Science

Scientists say that without these skeletons, they’ll never fully understand how dinosaurs evolved

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Visit the Edge of Space on the Cheap in a High-Altitude Balloon

Do your best Felix Baumgartner impersonation with this balloon trip to the stratosphere

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See the Original, 17th Century Drawings of the Microscopic World Robert Hooke Discovered

Before photo and video, illustrations were the best way for scientists to share what they saw

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Why We Missed America’s National Treasures During the Shutdown

The Smithsonian’s Richard Kurin reflects on the recent shutdown and the icons that have shaped American history

In less than a year, MealSharing.com has built a community that spans 400 cities worldwide.

How to Get a Home-Cooked Meal Anywhere in the World

Jay Savsani describes his early success with MealSharing.com, a website that connects tourists with locals offering a free meal

Elk Creek is the first methane-to-energy project at a coal mine west of the Mississippi and the largest of its kind nationwide.

Energy Innovation

Squeezing Cleaner Energy from Coal’s Waste

Coal mine methane could soon transform from problematic waste to valuable fuel

Female Killer Whales Go Through Menopause

This life history pattern likely evolved as a way for the female whales to ensure their genetic mark in the world does indeed get passed on

A women’s only train in Tokyo

Here’s Why Nearly Half of Japanese Women Under 24 Aren’t Interested in Sex

If things don’t change, one official fears that Japan “might eventually perish into extinction”

Scientists have identified a milk protein called Tenascin C that binds to HIV (the virus is shown here in green) and prevents it from injecting its DNA into human immune system cells (shown in purple, with pseudopodia in pink).

Discovered: A Natural Protein in Breast Milk That Fights HIV

Scientists have identified a milk protein called Tenascin C that binds to HIV and prevents it from injecting its DNA into human cells

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