Rasha Aridi

Rasha Aridi

 

Rasha Aridi is a science journalist based in Richmond, Virginia. She has written for Science magazine and Science News for Students. You can find her portfolio at rashaaridi.com.

As comets near the sun, they begin to form a head and tail.

Meet Leonard, the Brightest Comet of the Year

The celestial object will reach peak visibility in the northern hemisphere on December 12 and should be visible until the end of the month

Four different audio recorders placed in different regions of the north-western Arctic collected eight years' worth of acoustic data, providing a sneak peek into the lives of cetaceans.

As Arctic Sea Ice Retreats, Orcas Are on the Move, Spurring Changes in the Food Chain

Acoustic recordings reveal the marine behemoths are moving into once icy areas, which causes competition for resources with other species

The footprints from site A (left) look similar to those excavated from site G (right), but they are much wider. 

A Set of Ancient Footprints May Have Belonged to an Unknown Human Ancestor

The prints were originally attributed to bears, but further analysis reveals that they don't match bears—or any known human ancestors either

Using AI, supercomputers and a Frankenstein approach, scientists designed living robots from frogs' stem cells.

Scientists Unveiled the World's First Living Robots Last Year. Now, They Can Reproduce

By clustering free-floating stem cells together, 'xenobots' can assemble baby bots

By mating with the same partner each year, the albatross couples build trust, communication and coordination to help them raise demanding chicks successfully.

Albatrosses Mate for Life, but Climate Change Has Doubled Their 'Divorce' Rates

Food scarcity is causing the birds to return late for mating season, which decreases the chance of successfully hatching a chick

Scientists have created other living inks out of bacteria, but this is the first that doesn't require the addition of other materials like acids, extracts and silica.

'Living Ink' Made From E. Coli Could One Day Be Used in Cancer Treatments or Self-Healing Buildings

Though the microbial material is still in the very beginning stages of development, researchers are hopeful about future applications

An arena consisting of a plexiglass box, infrared lights and cameras captured the spiders' delicate movements.

Using Night Vision and A.I., Scientists Recorded Spiders' Entire Choreography for Web Building

This research could shed light on how the circuits in our own minds work since animal brains are built out of the 'same fundamental building blocks'

Researchers looked for eight specific neurological and behavioral criteria that indicate sentience, such as the ability to learn and feel pain.

Lobsters, Crabs and Octopuses Will Now Receive Welfare Protection as 'Sentient Beings' in the U.K.

The report outlines recommendations for best practices to reduce animal cruelty and suffering

Purdue University's INSPIRE Research Institute for Pre-College Engineering tests toys for how well they develop STEM skills in kids.

Engineers Pick the Ten Best STEM Toys to Give as Gifts This Year

These expert-approved gifts teach robotics, coding and engineering thinking through stories and play

The team used morphological data and DNA testing on a male and female (pictured) specimen to describe it.   

A New Himalayan Snake Species Was Discovered in an Instagram Post

When Virendar Bhardwaj uploaded a photo of a snake at his home in Chamba, India, scientists realized it has yet to be described by science

The coronavirus is suspected to attack specific cells in the nose that help olfactory nerves, which sense smell, operate. 

Up to 1.6 Million People in the U.S. Have Long-Term Smell Loss Due to Covid-19

After six months of smell loss, the chance of recovery drops to less than 20 percent, and around 5 percent of all cases will result in permanent loss

Humans contract Lyme disease from the bite of a blacklegged tick, which carries the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi. Humans contract Lyme disease from the bite of a blacklegged tick, which carries the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi.

First-Ever mRNA Vaccine for Lyme Disease Shows Promise in Guinea Pigs

Instead of eliciting an immune response for the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, the vaccine targets proteins found in tick saliva

By studying the friction generated in a finger snap, a team of scientists concluded that it would've been physically impossible to snap while wearing the Infinity Gauntlet.

If Marvel Obeyed Physics, Thanos Couldn't Have Snapped While Wearing the Infinity Gauntlet

Inspired by the 'Avengers: Infinity War' movie, a group of scientists investigated the friction behind the iconic finger snap

The researchers named the mineral davemaoite, after the well-known geophysicist Ho-kwang (Dave) Mao.

From Deep Within Earth's Mantle, This Never-Before-Seen Mineral Hitched a Ride to the Surface in a Diamond

Scientists previously synthesized the mineral in a lab using immense amounts of pressure, but they were surprised to find it in nature

Species like seals, sharks, seahorses and eels have found their way back to the river in recent decades.

Once Deemed 'Biologically Dead,' a New Report Shows London's River Thames Recovering

Though wildlife populations are recovering, climate change and sewage still threaten the river's health

The New Zealand sea lion is listed as endangered, and conservationists are working to ensure their population continues to grow. 

After Being Hunted to Near-Extinction, New Zealand Sea Lions Are Reclaiming the Mainland

These blubbery critters have made grand reappearances on golf courses, swimming pools and hiking trails, startling some New Zealanders

A Canyonlands park ranger stumbled across the fossil and reported it to the park about a year ago.

A 300-Million-Year-Old Fossil Discovered in Utah Could Be a New Species

Fossilized remains of aquatic creatures are commonly found in Canyonlands National Park, but discovering a land-dwelling vertebrate is incredibly rare

For a tiny, soft-bodied worm, seeking shelter by way of hermiting behavior likely protected it from predators.

Penis Worms May Have Been the First Real Hermits

Hermit crabs may have evolved hermiting behavior 180 million years ago, but penis worms beat them by more than 300 million years

The three-inch Joros can weave their massive webs almost anywhere, including porches, gardens and mailboxes.

'Like a Scene Out of 'Arachnophobia,'' Invasive Spiders Take Over Northern Georgia

Scientists are torn on whether the Joro spider could have positive or negative effects on the native ecosystem

The ice stupa project in Chile was inspired by the original one founded in India, where communities in the Ladakh Valley are using the mini glaciers to get them through the dry months.

As Natural Glaciers Recede, Some Communities Are Building Their Own

Each ice stupa holds thousands of gallons of water, providing communities with a freshwater source during dry seasons

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