Will Sullivan

Will Sullivan

 

Will Sullivan is a science writer based in Washington, D.C. His work has appeared in Inside Science and NOVA Next.

A wild boar in Bavaria, Germany. Levels of radioactive contamination in the animals have not declined significantly since the Chernobyl disaster of 1986.

Why Germany's Wild Boars Are Radioactive

Fallout from nuclear tests conducted in the mid-20th century may contribute to the high levels of radiation seen in the animals today, a new study finds

An artist's rendition of exoplanet K2-18 b and the dwarf star it orbits. New observations from the James Webb Space Telescope support the idea that the world, discovered in 2015, has a hydrogen-rich atmosphere and water ocean.

This Exoplanet May Be a Distant Ocean World, James Webb Telescope Finds

The observatory detected evidence of methane and carbon dioxide—and tentatively observed a molecule that, on Earth, is only made by living things

Comet Nishimura, as imaged on September 7. On Tuesday, the comet will pass within 78 million miles of Earth, the closest it will get for more than 400 years.

Newly Discovered Green Comet Is Passing By Earth This Week

Comet Nishimura, which appears only once every 435 years, is on track to approach the sun and shoot into deep space

Scientists inserted human stem cells in pig embryos that couldn't develop kidneys, then let these embryos gestate in sows for several weeks. The experiments resulted in kidneys partly made of human-derived cells.

Scientists Grow Part-Human Kidneys in Pig Embryos for Nearly a Month

The new work is a "big step forward" in finding new ways to generate viable organs for human transplants, but it comes with some ethical considerations

An artist's rendering of the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission. The satellite will measure X-rays to deepen science's understanding of the universe. 

Japan Launches X-Ray Satellite and Lunar Lander to Space

The satellite will study large bodies in the cosmos, while the lander will attempt to land at a precise location on the moon's surface

Onlookers watch as a rocket carrying the Aditya-L1 spacecraft launches. The mission will study the sun's outer layers and the influence of solar activity on the solar system.

India Launches Mission to Study the Sun and Space Weather

The Aditya-L1 spacecraft will examine the star's outer layers and aim to shed light on its violent—and potentially damaging—storms

Smoke from wildfires in Canada blankets the New York City skyline in a haze in July 2023.

New Satellite Tracking Air Pollution Releases Its First Images

The instrument, called TEMPO, will make hourly measurements of pollutants over North America that could help reduce exposure to unhealthy air

Ann, 47, suffered a stroke that caused paralysis in 2005. The interface in the new study aims to help people who are unable to speak to communicate verbally.

Woman With Paralysis Can Speak By Thinking With a Brain Implant and A.I.

The experimental interface allows the patient to communicate through a digital avatar, and it's faster than her current system

Hogfish can change their color in less than a second to blend in with their surroundings.

How Color-Changing Hogfish Use Their Skin to 'See' Themselves

Light-sensitive proteins in the fish's skin could play a role in monitoring how they camouflage, researchers theorize in a new study

People in New Delhi celebrate India's successful landing of a spacecraft near the moon's south pole on Wednesday.

India Lands a Spacecraft Near the Moon's South Pole, a First in Lunar Exploration

No other mission has successfully touched down in this scientifically interesting moon region, which contains water ice in lunar craters

Researchers took stem cells from the healthy eyes of patients who had suffered a chemical burn in their other eye. They then transplanted the stem cells into the injured eye.

Scientists Treat Severe Injuries in One Eye With Stem Cells From the Other

Patients' own stem cells could help them recover from chemical burns that damaged a single eye, a small, preliminary study suggests

Neptune, captured by the Voyager 2 spacecraft. A new study finds a link between the planet's cloud coverage and solar activity.

Neptune's Clouds Have Disappeared, and the Sun Might Be Responsible

Scientists have linked shifts in the distant planet's cloud coverage to the ever-oscillating solar cycle, which is due to peak soon

An ancient bison gets stuck in a tar pit as a fire burns nearby in this illustration. A warmer and drier climate could have made Southern California vulnerable to human-caused fires at the time, the new study suggests.

Human-Caused Fires and a Changing Climate May Have Contributed to Mass Extinction 13,000 Years Ago

The deadly combination likely led several species to disappear from Southern California during the late Pleistocene

The yellow-legged hornet, native to Southeast Asia, has invaded other parts of Asia and Europe and feeds on insects, including honeybees.

Invasive Yellow-Legged Hornet Spotted in the U.S. for the First Time

The insect, detected in Georgia, can snatch bees from the air while hunting, posing a threat to native pollinators and agriculture

Pink Floyd performs c. 1972 in London, England. Researchers used a computer model to try recreate one of their songs using the brain signals of people listening to it. 

Scientists Recreated a Pink Floyd Song From Listeners' Brain Waves

Electrodes collected brain signals while people listened to "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 1," then computers produced a garbled but recognizable track

Smoke rises from buildings destroyed in the town of Lahaina last week by the Maui wildfires. A new study ties long-term exposure to smoke from wildfires to increased risk of dementia.

Long-Term Wildfire Smoke Exposure Linked to Dementia Risk, Study Finds

Among nine sources of particle pollution, fires and agriculture had the strongest link to dementia, according to a new analysis of a national survey

A video screenshot of a rocket carrying the Luna-25 spacecraft launching from Russia on August 11. The spacecraft aims to be the first to successfully land in the vicinity of the moon's south pole.

Russia Launches Its First Spacecraft to the Moon in Nearly 50 Years

The country now joins India in a race to make the first-ever successful soft landing near the lunar south pole

Fossilized poop, called coprolites, collected in Nong Yakong village, Chaiyaphum Province, Thailand. Coprolites are an important source for studying ancient parasites.

200-Million-Year-Old Poop Reveals Parasites That Infected a Crocodile-Like Reptile

The prehistoric fossil could help researchers understand the relationships between parasites and host organisms in the Late Triassic

A trumpetfish shadows a parrotfish. A new study suggests that this tactic makes it harder for prey to notice the predatory trumpetfish behind the non-threatening, plant-eating parrotfish.

These Long, Skinny Fish Hide Behind Bigger Fish to Sneak Up on Their Prey

Scientists made 3D-printed models of fish and tested them in the ocean to study this clever hunting strategy

Satellite imagery shows the destruction wildfires have caused in the town of Lahaina on the island of Maui.

Deadly Maui Wildfires Raze Landscape, Destroy Historic Coastal Town

At least 36 people have been reported dead and thousands were displaced by the fast-moving flames that ignited on Tuesday

Page 12 of 24