Articles

This multicolored lily pad is actually a bloom of the iron-based mineral hematite in Brazilian quartz.

Art Meets Science

Surreal Photos Reveal the Otherworldly Insides of Gemstones

If you thought gems were beautiful to the naked eye, take a look at them under a microscope

A startup called Roost is developing a WiFi-enabled battery that listens for an alarm and sends a message to your phone when your smoke detector blares.

Tech Watch

This Smart Battery Sends a Message to Your Phone When Your Smoke Detector Sounds

It also alerts you weeks in advance of dying—sparing you from that annoying chirp

The dark black lacquered center of the Ming Dynasty tray, surrounded by an elegant basket weave design, made it seem almost modern.

How Curators Found a Ghostly Image Lurking Beneath Layers of Lacquer

Work in the conservation lab revealed there was more to this Ming Dynasty tray than meets the eye

Utah's Otherworldly Landscapes

Despite its dry desert landscapes, Utah is a land of endless surprises, and Glen Canyon is one of them, rivaling Arizona's Grand Canyon for sheer majesty

Hubble snapped this incredibly detailed view of the "Pillars of Creation" to help mark its 25th anniversary.

Top Space Pictures of the Week, From a Hubble Icon to Hungry Black Holes

Ghostly pillars, a dark nebula and a galaxy herd starred in some of the best image-driven stories released at a recent astronomy meeting

An Asian tiger mosquito in action.

New Research

Could GM Mosquitoes Pave the Way for a Tropical Virus to Spread?

Modified insects designed to stop dengue fever could make it easier for another disease-carrying species to take root

Dale A. Gardner, Space Shuttle Mission 51-A, George D. Guzzi Jr. This watercolor shows Dale Gardner tethered to the exterior of Space Shuttle Discovery. During that mission, Gardner and Joseph Allen donned jet-propelled maneuvering units on spacewalks to recover two malfunctioning satellites.

Space Exploration Would Be Nothing If We Didn't Know How to Spacewalk

The Air and Space Museum brings the privileged experience to the public in an exhibit that chronicles 50 years of technology

Bradesco Bank ATM, Rio de Janeiro.

The ATM is Dead. Long Live the ATM!

Usage is on the decline – so why are banks looking to the machines to save them?

The Panoramic Encyclopedia of Everything Elvis, located in Cornelia, Georgia.

The King's Keepers: Five Quirky Locations for Finding Elvis Beyond Graceland

From Georgia to Connecticut, Elvis' spirit lives on in unexpected places

A handful of promising drug candidates?

A New Antibiotic Found in Dirt Can Kill Drug-Resistant Bacteria

Tests in mice show that the new drug works against numerous nasty diseases and should stay viable for decades

To reduce carbon dioxide emissions, the world would need to leave some 80 percent of current coal reserves in the ground, according to a new study.

Anthropocene

To Meet Global Warming Targets, Leave Fuels In the Ground

Hefty percentages of fossil fuels need to remain untapped to curtail the rising global temperature

Could You Have Endured Consuelo Vanderbilt's Upbringing?

Tutored in several European languages for hours on end and strapped to a steel rod for posture, Consuelo Vanderbilt's childhood was anything but easy

This artist's depiction shows a gas giant planet akin to Jupiter rising over an alien ocean.

New Super-Earths Double the Number of Life-Friendly Worlds

Three studies looking at small, rocky planets are helping astronomers figure out how common worlds like ours are in the galaxy

The world's six known punked out snail species, which have mohawk-like spikes, acidic-dyed psychedelic colors and hardcore shells that are falling apart.

New Research

New Deep-Sea Snails Are Nature’s Own Punk Rockers

The spikes on one hardcore species inspired scientists to name it after Joe Strummer of the Clash, who was also an ardent environmentalist

The festival covers eight million square feet and uses over 1.9 million square feet of ice.

One of the World's Largest Ice and Snow Carnivals Is Underway in China

The 31st Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival runs through February 25

Tony Award winner Geoffrey Holder's ingenious design used a skillet to complete the Tin Man’s hat in the 1975 Broadway production of The Wiz.

Breaking Ground

The Tin Man's Hat From "The Wiz" Offers Just a Hint of the Musical's Beating Heart

When the all-black musical production opened on Broadway 40 years ago, critics scoffed, but audiences embraced it

Gogoro is releasing an electric Smartscooter, a lithium-ion battery pack and a charging station at the Consumer Electronics Show this week in Las Vegas.

Will Electric Scooters Take Over the World’s Mega Cities?

A well-funded startup called Gogoro unveils its e-scooter and a plan to install ATM-like battery stations in urban areas

Highclere Castle, home of the Earl of Carnarvon but perhaps more famous for its role as the setting for "Downton Abbey," is opening part of its grounds to overnight guests for the first time this spring.

Soon, You'll Be Able to Spend the Night on the Grounds of Downton Abbey

Beginning February 13, interested parties can book a night (or two) in a lodge one mile from Highclere Castle, made famous by "Downton Abbey"

(Clockwise from top left) Katrin Macmillan, Ashutosh Saxena, Richard Lunt and Horace Luke are hard at work on exciting new projects.

Eight Innovators to Watch in 2015

From food science and robotics to solar tech and sustainable architecture, these folks are poised to do big things

Dumpling squid don't let danger stop them from mating.

New Research

Threat of Being Eaten Doesn’t Deter Dumpling Squid From Sex

The adorable cephalopods seem to rate mating higher on their list of priorities than survival

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