New Research

Mercury’s northern volcanic plains shown in enhanced color to emphasize rocks types. The bottom left portion of the image displays large wrinkle ridges, formed during lava cooling. Near the top of the image, a bright orange region shows the location of a volcanic vent.

See Mercury's Landscape in Stunning Detail

A new map of the planet's surface captures the depths of craters and the peaks of volcanic mountains

Human brain cells infected by the Zika virus (in red).

Mice Show How the Zika Virus Can Cause Birth Defects

A new study offers the first experimental evidence of the virus crossing the placenta and damaging fetal brains

An example of the type of axe head the newly described fragment would have come from.

50,000-Year-Old Axe Shows Australians Were at The Cutting Edge of Technology

A polished stone chip is the earliest-known example of a ground-edge axe yet

An artist's depiction of Kepler's latest planetary find.

Kepler Discovers More Than 1,000 New Exoplanets

The space telescope is still alive and kicking

Healthy purple sea stars, also called ochre sea stars, in a tide pool.

Wasting Disease Clears Way for Young Sea Stars, for Now

Whether or not the devastated populations are on the road to recovery remains uncertain

Leprosy Threatens U.K. Red Squirrel Populations

Researchers have launched a new study to try to save the furry rodents

Boulder brain coral is usually common in Florida's coral reefs.

Between Bleaching and Boats, Florida’s Coral Reefs Are Struggling to Survive

The reefs are crumbling in acidifying waters and buried from dredging, according to new reports

Scientists Use "The Moth Radio Hour" to Create Brain Atlas

Using a functional MRI, scientists created a visual dictionary to show how areas of the brain process language

The Swiss Have Made Cheese Since the Iron Age

This discovery pushes Swiss cheesemaking traditions back millennia

Eating Toxic Algae Might Make Some Plankton Act Drunk

Though it may seem funny, it could have serious environmental consequences

This artist's concept shows the distant dwarf planet Makemake and its newly discovered moon. Makemake and its moon, nicknamed MK 2, are more than 50 times farther away than Earth is from the sun.

Hubble Spies a Tiny Moon Orbiting Dwarf Planet Makemake

Our solar system still has plenty of surprises

How Computer Scientists Are Using Twitter to Predict Gentrification

Cambridge researchers have created a way to predict a neighborhood's fortunes in coming years by analyzing social media data

This bed bug has favorite colors, too.

Bed Bugs Are Picky About Certain Colors

But don’t buy new sheets just yet

Researchers sort through finds recovered from trawling in the central section of the Amazon reef.

Shining Light on Brazil’s Secret Coral Reef

The massive, previously unstudied reef is unlike any other known on Earth

Los Angeles: City of Angels...and smog.

More Than Half of All Americans Breathe Polluted Air

166 million people a year are exposed to air that’s too dangerous to breathe

Black widows’ red hourglass tells birds to back off but is almost invisible to insects.

The Deadly Cunning of the Black Widow's Color Scheme

Why did the spider evolve to have that crimson hourglass on its back?

How to Plug In Your Brain

If neuroscientists are right, you’ll soon be able to sharpen your focus and boost your memory by recharging your brain—with electricity

Some molecular motors in this “biocomputer” are made in the lab but copy those found in brains.

Can Proteins From Living Cells Solve Problems That Vex Supercomputers?

When nature knows best

Every City Has a Unique Microbial “Fingerprint”

From architecture to microbes, every city is different

Your Body Could One Day Be a Computer Display

Forget screen time—a new technology is all about skin time

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