nature
Tornado detection: bringing Stone Age tech into the 21st century
Technology designed to listen for atomic bombs can also hear tornadoes.
Nightmarishly large bird-eating centipedes are propping up a whole island ecosystem
These enormous centipedes are straight out of science fiction.
Three powerful technologies we borrowed from nature
Three cutting-edge techniques – the gene-editing tool CRISPR, fluorescent proteins and optogenetics – were all inspired by nature.
How evolution shifts from unicellular to multicellular life
When facing a predator, single cells sometimes unite to defend themselves, paving the way for more complex multicellular life forms to evolve.
Animal altruism: nature isn’t as cruel as the Discovery Channel says
One man studied apes for 50 years. He says nature isn't as cruel as you think.
Why “survival of the fittest” is wrong
He's studied apes for 50 years - here's what most people get wrong.
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Could a pill that lowers our body temperature make us live longer?
Theoretical physicist Geoffrey West explains the science behind a unique hypothesis.
Every 27.5 million years, the Earth’s heart beats catastrophically
Geologists discover a rhythm to major geologic events.
Meet the worm with a jaw of metal
Metal-like materials have been discovered in a very strange place.
‘Hidden’ magma pools under volcanoes may pose alarming eruption threats
A recent study of Iceland's Krafla volcanic caldera suggests hidden magma pools may be lurking under many of the world's volcanic systems.
160-million-year-old ‘Monkeydactyl’ was the first animal to develop opposable thumbs
The 'Monkeydactyl' was a flying reptile that evolved highly specialized adaptations in the Mesozoic Era.
A new warning sign to predict volcanic eruptions?
Satellite imagery can help better predict volcanic eruptions by monitoring changes in surface temperature near volcanoes.
The evolution of modern rainforests began with the dinosaur-killing asteroid
The lush biodiversity of South America's rainforests is rooted in one of the most cataclysmic events that ever struck Earth.
Lightning strikes will double in Arctic as climate warms
The uptick in Arctic lightning could cause more wildfires, potentially triggering a feedback loop that releases massive amounts of carbon into the atmosphere.
Have scientists at CERN found evidence of brand new physics?
We're cautiously optimistic about our new findings.
Mice could someday become venomous, suggests study on the evolution of oral venom systems
Snakes and mammals share common genetic building blocks necessary for producing venom.
What is life? Why cells and atoms haven’t answered the question.
75 years after Erwin Schrödinger's prescient description of something like DNA, we still don't know the "laws of life."
Can you be scientific and spiritual?
Spirituality can be an uncomfortable word for atheists. But does it deserve the antagonism that it gets?
New research reveals why some octopuses punch fish
"Don't tread on me" is a slogan of the deep sea, too.
Physicist creates AI algorithm that may prove reality is a simulation
A physicist creates an AI algorithm that predicts natural events and may prove the simulation hypothesis.
New wellness center lets guests cuddle with cows
Cow cuddling is getting ever more popular, but what's the science behind using animals for relaxation?
We have a new word for that feeling when travel makes everything new
A tourist generally has an eye for the things that have become almost invisible to the resident.
Record for oldest DNA ever sequenced broken by mammoth remains
One million year old mammoth DNA more than doubles the previous record and suggests that even older genomes could be found.
Rousseau explained: What his philosophy means for us
The philosopher who praised a simple life and inspired the worst of the French Revolution.
Unusual creatures uncovered beneath an Antarctic ice shelf
The organisms were anchored to a boulder 900 meters beneath the ice, living a cold, dark existence miles away from the open ocean.
Why do some species evolve to miniaturize?
The island rule hypothesizes that species shrink or supersize to fill insular niches not available to them on the mainland.
A 62-year-old Russian mystery (and conspiracy theory) has been solved
Some mysteries take generations to unfold.
Ten “keys to reality” from a Nobel-winning physicist
To understand ourselves and our place in the universe, "we should have humility but also self-respect," Frank Wilczek writes in a new book.
2020 ties for hottest year on record, says NASA and NOAA
In a joint briefing at the 101st American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting, NASA and NOAA revealed 2020's scorching climate data.
A prayer without words: The story of the wanderer
Take a journey through the maze of interpretations of one of the most famous paintings in history.