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Surprising Science

A glowing kitty may help in the fight against AIDS

The Glow-In-The-Dark Kitty

A fluorescent green cat could help in the fight against AIDS

Without science, we wouldn't know that prehistoric creatures, like this short-necked plesiosaur (at the Smithsonian's Natural History Museum) were real

Why I Like Science

It’s time to speak up: Why do you like science?

Australopithecus sediba had a hand built for making stone tools

Fossil Finds Complicate Search for Human Ancestor

A new analysis of a 2-million-year-old hominid shows that it had an intriguing mix of australopithecine and Homo-like traits

A screenshot from The Great Flu, an online game

Five Games To Play After Watching Contagion

These games are fun but also have important lessons to teach about infectious diseases

A male elephant at Etosha National Park in Namibia

Male Elephants Queue in Dry Times

Researchers believe the hierarchy helps elephants avoid injuries that could result from competing for water

A combined image from the Chandra and XMM-Newton X-ray observatories of RCW 86, which was determined to have started out as SN 185

The First Supernova

In 185 A.D., someone in China looked up in the night sky and saw a new star

Woolly rhinos may have used their flattened horns to sweep away snow and expose edible vegetation underneath.

Woolly Rhino May Have Been A Tibetan Native

When the Ice Age began, these large mammals spread out to northern Asia and Europe

Could climate change (a drought in Tanzania) spark a violent conflict?

Does Climate Change Cause War?

The issue is more complex than recent headlines have indicated

Chickens at a Florida farmhouse museum

14 Fun Facts About Chickens

#5: With 25 billion chickens in the world, there are more of them than any other bird species

Irene created a new channel across a North Carolina barrier island

Building On A Barrier Island

These accumulations of sand aren’t permanent but are home to whole communities

Flood debris on the Ohio River is halted by a dam

What Happens To A House Swept Away By A Flood?

Flood debris may circulate in ocean gyres for years

In this GOES satellite image taken on August 24, the eye Hurricane Irene, traveling over the Bahamas, can be clearly seen

The Satellite Eyes On Irene (And Other Great Resources)

There are satellites orbiting overhead, powerful computers and plenty of scientists to make sense of a wealth of data

A building in the northern reaches of Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, that was destroyed in the 1938 hurricane

The Great New England Hurricane of 1938

Katharine Hepburn’s Connecticut beach house and 8,900 other homes were swept into the sea

Earthquake hazard map for the United States

Earthquake in Washington, D.C.

Today’s shaking may have been unexpected, but Washington isn’t the only unlikely location for an earthquake in the United States

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The Great Penguin Rescue

After an oil spill, should people put in the time and effort to clean up wildlife, or would it be better to just let the animals die?

A wild capybara by a lake in Brazil

What In The World Is A Capybara?

And why is one running loose in California?

One of Amani's five cubs at seven weeks age

Helping Older Cheetahs Become Moms

Researchers may soon be able to transfer embryos from older cheetahs into younger animals and give them a better chance of success

Captive zebra finches

Same-Sex Finch Couples Form Strong Bonds

The ties between same-sex couples can be just as strong as those in heterosexual birds

An artist's concept of what planet TrES-2b might look like

Faraway Planet is Blackest Yet Found

The planet, TrES-2b, is a gas giant about the size of Jupiter. But that’s where the similarities end

Do you ever peek at the end of a book?

Are Spoilers Misnamed?

Giving away surprises, surprisingly, makes readers like stories better

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