New Research

Artist's impression of a comet swarm around Tabby's Star

The “Alien Megastructure” Star Is Acting Up Again

A large dip in the star's brightness suggests something massive is orbiting the fiery body

Thousands of clay caterpillars, like this one glued to a leaf in Hong Kong, were used to measure how often predators are eating insects around the world.

Sacrificing Fake Caterpillars in the Name of Science

Ersatz insects are helping ecologists figure out why bugs are more likely to become meals near the equator

DISCOVR captured a glint over South America. Scientists now think that horizontal ice crystals in the troposphere account for the phenomenon, which can be viewed from deep space.

Scientists Finally Figured Out Why Earth Twinkles From Space

Horizontal ice makes the planet sparkle and shine

New App Makes It Easier to Colorize Old Photos

The software combines human input and a sophisticated neural network to make historical images pop

Some studies have shown that humans can learn to track scents like canines.

In Some Ways, Your Sense of Smell Is Actually Better Than a Dog’s

Human noses are especially attuned to picking up odors in bananas, urine and human blood

The tiny creatures can adeptly fold their large wings, tucking them under their spotted forewing.

The Origami-Like Folds of Ladybug Wings Could Lead to Better Umbrellas

Scientists have finally figured out how ladybugs fold their wings

The VLF bubble around Earth

A Human-Made "Bubble" of Radio Waves Could Be Shielding Earth From Radiation

Very Low Frequency radio waves have created a protective bubble around the planet

Aspens are one of the American tree species moving northwest.

American Trees are Shifting West

For 86 common species, northwest seems to be best. But why?

New Zealand’s Yellow-Eyed Penguins May Be in Trouble

A new study estimates that the beloved birds could disappear locally within 25 years

Orangutans may not wean for years, a new study shows.

Wild Orangutans Can Breastfeed for Over Eight Years

The primates take a while to wean their young

Photograph of two Havana meteoritic metal beads with a 1 cm cube for scale. The bead on the left (7.8 g mass) is cut perpendicular to the central hole, illustrating the extensive alteration of the bead and infilling of the central hole. The bead on the right (4.6 g mass) is cut parallel to the central hole and exhibits a concentrically deformed structure.

Beads Made From Meteorite Reveal Ancient Trade Network

Researchers have confirmed iron beads in Illinois come from a Minnesota meteorite, supporting a theory called the Hopewell Interaction Sphere

This forest in Guatemala was burned to make way for agricultural development. A new study suggests that drug traffickers contribute to rainforest loss by laundering money with agriculture in forest lands.

Cocaine Is Destroying Forests in Central America

Once-forested lands are being used in money laundering operations

Behold T. Rex the ant

T. Rex Ants Found Alive for the First Time

It is not nearly as formidable as its namesake

The 3D printed ovaries

Mice With 3D-Printed Ovaries Successfully Give Birth

The gelatin-scaffold ovary could one day help restore endocrine function in young cancer patients and treat infertility

Glue Made of Mussel Slime Could Prevent Scarring

The glue, infused with a version of the protein decorin, healed wounds in rats, giving them skin with hair follicles and oil glands instead of scar tissue

Henderson Island, world's garbage can.

This Remote Island Is Covered with 37 Million Pieces of Your Trash

Immaculate no more, the island now looks more like a dump than a pristine paradise

A woman wears a mask to protect against air pollution in Anyang. New research shows that Northeastern China could get more polluted when there is lest dust in the air.

Dust May Help, Not Harm, Air Pollution in China

When it comes to some of Earth’s smoggiest cities, less dust isn’t necessarily better

The Mona Lisa's sparse setting may help visitors better appreciate its beauty, according to a new psychology study.

Distraction May Make Us Less Able to Appreciate Beauty

Truly experiencing the beauty of an object could require conscious thought, vindicating the ideas of Immanuel Kant

Prince Rupert's Drops

The 400-Year-Old Mystery of These Bullet-Shattering Glass Drops May Finally Be Solved

The tadpole-shaped glass structures can survive a hammer blow but explode if their tail is squeezed

Did Peckish Christians Make Chickens More Social?

Religious dietary laws in the Middle Ages could have helped make the fowl less aggressive

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