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Surprising Science

What possesses some people to study the parenting skills of Atlantic puffins for decades?

Michelle Nijhuis: Why I Like Science

Science is not a list of facts but a method of asking questions, testing possible answers and asking yet more questions

Pandas munch on bamboo for most of the day.

How A Carnivore Survives On Bamboo

New research finds that the giant panda may get some bacterial help to digest its bamboo diet

The Very Large Array in New Mexico

Name That Telescope

The Very Large Array needs a new, more exciting name

A storm rolls in above Bangkok

When The Skies Turn Black

There are signs when severe weather approaches, but are we paying enough attention?

Internal parts of a wildflower, magnified 100x, by Arik Shapira of Hod HaSharon, Israel

Wildflower, Magnified

Imagery from the Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition ranges from the fantastical to the freaky

It only took five tries, but his version of Hamlet is much better.

Chimps Shouldn’t Be Entertainers

A new study provides evidence that seeing chimps in commercials makes us care less about them as a species

Sofia Kovalevskaya, Emmy Noether and Ada Lovelace are just three of the many famous female mathematicians you should know.

Five Historic Female Mathematicians You Should Know

Albert Einstein called Emmy Noether a “creative mathematical genius”

Science is outright, public warfare and a great story, Finkbeiner says

Ann Finkbeiner: Why I Like Science

As a way of working, it’s wide-open, competitive, nit-picky and nerve-wracking; it’s outright warfare

There are 200 million European starlings in North America

The Invasive Species We Can Blame On Shakespeare

There are 200 million European starlings in North America, and they are a menace

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Six Secrets of Polonium

This rare and dangerous element, discovered by Marie Curie, is found in cigarettes and was used to poison an ex-KGB agent

King of the Hill by photographer James Kasher

Photo of the Week: Anemone and Shrimp

One appeared on the very top of one of the highest fingers and grasped the tip in what appeared to be a moment of victory: King of the Hill

A long exposure of a Motyxia millipede highlights its greenish-blue glow

The Millipede That Glows In The Dark

The blind, nocturnal arthropod produces a deadly toxin when disturbed

We no longer think of the stars as points of light on the tapestry of the night but now know that they're burning balls of gas billions of miles away in the black expanse of space.

Readers Respond: Why I Like Science

Science is the partner of art and the quest for truth

Rock hyraxes in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

What in the World is a Rock Hyrax?

It’s the elephant’s closest living, land-based relative

Most orchid bees, like this Euglossa paisa, have metallic coloration.

The Evolution of the Orchid and the Orchid Bee

Which came first—the plant or its pollinator?

Toxoplasma gondii requires the cat digestive system for reproduction, so it hitches a ride in a rat

The Parasite That Makes a Rat Love a Cat

Toxoplasma gondii alters activity in a rat’s brain

Does this Aston Martin V8 Vantage make your mouth water?

Drooling Over That Car? It’s Not Just A Metaphor

Our mouths can water over non-food items, a new study finds

Hummingbirds can bend their beaks in the middle using muscles in their head, but no one has checked to see whether other birds can do the same thing.

Biologist Rob Dunn: Why I Like Science

Because in biology most of what is knowable is still unknown

The moose likely got drunk eating apples fermenting on the ground.

The Alcoholics of the Animal World

A drunken moose got stuck in a tree. But they aren’t the only ones who like the product of fermentation

Sweet sorghum may be grown for biofuel

How To Choose What To Plant For Biofuel

Some species proposed for bioenergy have the potential to become invasive

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