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Science

Darwin himself considered language and fire the two most significant achievements of humanity.

Why Fire Makes Us Human

Cooking may be more than just a part of your daily routine, it may be what made your brain as powerful as it is

Chilis being transported to the Nagaland's chili competition. Gloves need to be worn because the chili oils can harm the skin.

The Gut-Wrenching Science Behind the World’s Hottest Peppers

Chiliheads crave the heat that hurts so good, but nothing compares to the legendary superhot that spices life in remote India

As part of the Star Songs project, X-ray emissions from the EX Hydrae system (above, near center)—in which one star pulls matter from its partner—are converted into music.

How to Convert X-Rays From A Distant Star into Blues, Jazz and Classical Music

A vision-impaired scientist, her coworker, and a composer team up to transform light bursts from stars into rhythms and melodies

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When Large Birds Disappear, Rainforests Suffer

A century after toucans and toucanets disappeared from patches of Brazilian jungle, trees have evolved to have smaller, weaker seeds

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World’s Newest Atomic Clock Loses 1 Second Every 50 Billion Years

Tired of your clocks losing time? A new clock, which is the most accurate ever, uses ytterbium atoms and lasers to precisely define a second

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What Animal Sounds Look Like

Mark Fischer, a software developer in California, turns data from recordings of whales, dolphins and birds into psychedelic art

The Ginger.io app looks for health clues in a phone log trail.

How You Use Your Phone May Tip Off Health Problems

Among the new technology geared to preventive health care is an app that tracks your social behavior and has been described as a human “check engine” light

How to Grow a Nanogarden

In a lab at Harvard University, Wim Noorduin cultivates microscopic crystalline flowers in glass beakers

Your Ticket to the Universe, a new book by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory’s Kimberly Arcane and Megan Watzke, features arresting images of the cosmos captured by the Hubble, Chandra and Spitzer space telescopes.

Look Up! Venus, Jupiter and Mercury Conjoin this Evening

Kimberly Arcand and Megan Watzke, authors of “Your Ticket to the Universe,” point out a few wonders of the cosmos

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Plants Frozen Under a Glacier for 400 Years Can Come Back to Life

Long-buried mosses recently exposed in the wake of a Canadian glacier’s retreat are sprouting new growth, a study shows

Much about lightning remains a mystery.

8 Things We’ve Learned Lately About Thunder and Lightning

Such as, storms can make your head hurt. And we should expect more turbulence on transatlantic flights

New archaeological analysis shows that King Richard’s remains were buried in an awkward position, leaning against the wall of a grave that wasn’t dug large enough.

New Study Finds That King Richard III Was Buried in a Hurry

The British king’s remains, discovered in a parking lot, were dropped in an awkward position in a grave that wasn’t dug large enough

A neurotransmitter called Nppb, we now know, plays a vital role in the sensation of an itch—and removing it can prevent itchiness entirely.

Discovered: The Molecule Responsible for Itchiness

A neurotransmitter called Nppb, we now know, plays a vital role in the sensation of an itch—and removing it can prevent itchiness entirely

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Save the Amazon, Increase Malaria

People in Brazil living close to forests are 25 times more likely to catch malaria than those living near places where all the trees have been cut down

Rethinking the battery may hold the key to how we reduce our reliance on fossil fuels

Want to Revolutionize Energy? Improve the Battery

Better energy storage could transform electric vehicles and the power grid, and help the climate

Engineers and doctors 3D printed this custom-made splint that currently holds open the airway of a six-week-old infant and will be gradually absorbed into the body over time.

Doctors Use a Dissolvable 3D-Printed Tracheal Splint to Save a

An infant’s collapsing airway now has a device holding it open; as his tissue strengthens, the splint will be absorbed into his body

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One Day Your Phone Will Know If You’re Happy or Sad

By analyzing every tiny facial gesture, voice inflection or even how quickly we tap out a text message, devices are getting good at reading our emotions

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Once in a Blue Moon and Other Idioms That Don’t Make Scientific Sense

From “where there’s smoke, there’s fire” to “hard as nails,” several sayings just don’t pass scientific scrutiny

Ride aboard Space Shuttle Challenger in 1983

How Astronaut Sally Ride Opened Science’s Doors to Women

A panel discusses the first American woman in space’s lasting legacy and the challenges still to be overcome for gender equality in the sciences

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Princeton University Celebrates the Art of Science

In a new exhibition, the university showcases 43 images rooted in scientific research that force viewers to contemplate the definition of art

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