Articles

Miniature African Forest Elephants Could Be Extinct in 10 Years

Ivory poachers slashed the population of the small elephants by 62 percent in the past decade—future losses at those rates will doom the species

March 4, 2013

Climate Change Could Allow Ships to Cross the North Pole by 2040

Melting sea ice will open up shipping lanes across the Arctic, potentially making the Northwest Passage and North Pole navigable during summer

March 4, 2013

Animals Can Help Kids With Autism More Than Toys Can

Recently, researchers explored the potential for therapy animals to help kids with autism, and found that they were more effective than toys

March 4, 2013

A Forensic Analysis of Richard the Lionheart’s Heart

Richard the Lionheart was buried without his heart, and a modern forensic analysis just unveiled how it was preserved

March 4, 2013

Inauguration History

More Than One Hundred Years Ago, 5,000 Suffragettes Paraded Down Pennsylvania Avenue

On the eve of Woodrow Wilson’s inauguration, suffragists descended upon Washington

March 4, 2013

Events March 5-7: Understanding Contemporary Art, Québec Microbrews and Lute Player Naseer Shamma

This week, learn how to interpret contemporary art, taste some Canadian microbrews and listen to one of the world’s best flute players

March 4, 2013

Being a Soccer Fan Can Actually Kill You

During the 2006 World Cup watching a soccer game doubled the risk of a heart attack in German fans

March 4, 2013

Biking Ecuador’s Spectacular Avenue of the Volcanoes

Home to a string of high peaks, including 20,564-foot Chimborazo, the area offers some of the finest cycling, hiking and adventuring country anywhere

March 4, 2013

Trapped as Climate Changes, Giant Gusts of Hot Air Trigger Weather Extremes

Thanks to global warming, hot air piles up at mid-latitudes and causes storms and heat waves to linger for long stretches of time, new research shows.

March 2, 2013

Transforming Raw Scientific Data Into Sculpture and Song

Artist Nathalie Miebach uses meteorological data to create 3D woven works of art and playable musical scores

March 1, 2013

Digital Files and 3D Printing—in the Renaissance?

3D printing is a new technology that seems poised to change the world, but its origins date back all the way to the 15th century

March 1, 2013

What Does the Unbelievably Bad Air Quality in Beijing Do to the Human Body?

The level of soot in Beijing’s air is off the charts, leading to higher risks of lung cancer, heart attacks and other health problems

March 1, 2013

The True-Life Horror That Inspired ‘Moby-Dick’

The whaler Essex was indeed sunk by a whale—and that’s only the beginning

March 1, 2013

E.T. Phone Home: New Research Could Detect Signs of Life in this Decade

Thanks to a proposal by astronomers Avi Loeb and Dan Maoz, we could find evidence of extraterrestrial life very soon

March 1, 2013

American Football Players Aren’t the Only Ones With Head Injury Issues

Soccer players who head the ball could be injuring their brains, as well

March 1, 2013

The War on Cancer Goes Stealth

With nanomedicine, the strategy is not to poison cancer cells or to blast them away but to trick them

March 1, 2013

The Fishy History of the McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish Sandwich

How a struggling entrepreneur in Ohio saved his burger business during Lent and changed the McDonald’s menu for good.

March 1, 2013

A New Way to Illuminate Inequality Around the World

Want to know where the poor live? Look at where the light isn’t

March 2013

How Did Plants Develop Photosynthesis?

For a large chunk of the Earth’s existence, flora have used the Sun’s light to turn the planet green

March 2013

Could Solar Panels on Your Roof Power Your Home?

Researchers at MIT are investigating how to turn houses in Cambridge, Massachusetts, into mini-power plants

March 2013