Blackboard Jungle

Crossing the Line Between Art and Science

New York artist Steve Miller melds the computer models and scientific notes of a Nobel-winning biochemist into a series of paintings now on display in D.C.

When the heart’s electrical system fails, death is imminent.

Why Does Cardiac Arrest Often Strike in the Morning?

Studies show that the amount of a specific molecule in human hearts fluctuates on a daily cycle, helping to explain the decades-old observation

Hydraena ateneo, a millimeter-long water beetle, was found living in the forested creeks of Ateneo de Manila University’s forested campus.

A New Beetle Species Was Just Discovered Right Outside the World’s Densest City

Hydraena ateneo, a previously unknown water beetle, was found living in the forested creeks of a university’s campus near Manila, Philippines

In a rare collaboration, a team of Western scientists recently went to study North Korea’s Mount Paektu, an active volcano with a crater lake.

On Conducting Science Atop a Volcano in North Korea

A team of Western scientists recently helped local researchers set up monitoring instruments on North Korea’s Mount Paektu, an active volcano

Every 11 years, as part of the solar cycle, the Sun’s magnetic field flips, coinciding with a maximum in activity such as solar flares.

The Sun’s Magnetic Field Is About to Reverse

Every 11 years as part of the solar cycle, the Sun’s magnetic field flips. What’s in store for Earth when the field reverses a few months from now?

Cuban Emerald (Chlorostilbon ricordii), Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology, Collected from Andros Island, Bahamas, on January 22, 1988.

The Art of the Bird’s Nest

The architectural masterpieces of numerous bird species are the subject of Sharon Beals’ latest photo series—on display at the National Academy of Sciences

A colorized microscopic image of a viral particle of the Ebola virus. The virus, which scientists believe originates in non-human primates, causes Ebola hemorrhagic fever, a deadly disease in humans, monkeys, gorillas and chimpanzees.

Cracking the Code of the Human Genome

A Minimum of 320,000 Mammalian Viruses Await Discovery

If we invested just $1.4 billion, we could discover 85 percent of all mammalian viruses, potentially lessening the impact of the next emerging disease

QBotix robots adjust solar panels for maximum sun exposure—making solar power cheaper and more efficient.

Energy Innovation

WALL-E Goes to Work for Cheaper Solar Power

A startup in California has engineered robots to squeeze more juice from solar panels, bringing new efficiencies to a costly process

A young Maasai stands in front of a wind turbine on the Ngong Hills in Kenya.

Energy Innovation

Can Kenya Light the Way Toward a Clean-Energy Economy?

The absence of a robust fossil fuel infrastructure makes the African nation ripe for energy innovation

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What Urban Planners Can Learn From a Hindu Religious Festival

Every 12 years, one Indian city balloons from a few million residents to tens of millions. How does this happen with such ease?

Planet of the apps: The Cooper-Hewitt will release the code behind Planetary, enabling everyone to adapt the software.

How Does a Museum Acquire an iPad App for its Collections?

The Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum is making its first foray into design that you can’t actually see

Unlike the chest-beating primates of popular imagination, Brazil’s northern muriquis are easygoing and highly cooperative.

Humans Would Be Better Off If They Monkeyed Around Like the Muriquis

Biologist Karen Strier has been studying these peace-loving Brazilian primates and their egalitarian lifestyle for decades

What explains the vivid colors of the strawberry poison-dart frog?

How Do Tropical Frogs Get Their Stunning Colors?

The vibrant hues that dot the rainforest landscape help them avoid predators and win mates

In Montana, ground squirrels have been tunneling under a Air Force base’s fences and setting off intruder alarms, prompting researchers to look for a solution.

How One Nuclear Missile Base Is Battling Ground Squirrels

In Montana, squirrels have been tunneling under a base’s fences and setting off intruder alarms, prompting researchers to strengthen its defenses

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What’s Behind That Jellyfish Sting?

If you’re headed to the beach this weekend: with Jellyfish populations rising, what should you do if you are stung, and why do stings hurt so much?

Greenland may eventually resemble the lush Tongass National Forest in Alaska.

Climate Change Will Green Greenland

Many species of trees and shrubs may take up residence in formerly frozen Greenland, transforming parts of the island into a lush landscape

Astronomers traced 2011 QF99, circled in green, across the sky to find that it shared an orbit with Uranus.

Temporary Companion Leads Uranus in Its Race Around the Sun

A small asteroid that orbits ahead of the seventh planet offers a clearer picture of the ongoing celestial pinball game in the solar system’s outer reaches

Each crane is tagged with a radio transmitter (shown on the bird’s left leg) to monitor its location.

Nurture, Not Nature: Whooping Cranes Learn to Migrate From Their Elders

New research shows that the endangered cranes learn to navigate thousands of miles by taking cues from older birds

Valley of the Reclining Woman

Carl Warner’s Mountains Are Made of Elbows and Knees

The British photographer creates convincing landscapes—deserts and rocky scenes—by piecing together photos of nude models

Could life on Earth have been born on Mars?

Cracking the Code of the Human Genome

Did Life Come to Earth From Mars?

Mineralogical clues point to the idea that the early Earth, starved of oxygen and submerged by a vast ocean, needed molecules from Mars to kick start life

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