All Science
Cave diving, microbes, and slime: A love storyMost of life on Earth goes unseen. So scientists like Jennifer Macalady work to bring it to light, sometimes deep below the surface of the planet.
The ExplainerA dimming Betelgeuse has stargazers bursting. Three questions.Betelgeuse has been one of the sky鈥檚 brightest stars. But its unexpected dimming has raised speculation that it could be nearing supernova.
What do babies and warring groups have in common? Altruism.Humans have long been considered inherently selfish. But that may be changing, as researchers observe kindness in babies and among warring groups.- Why the sun鈥檚 mysteries could soon be revealedA trio of solar observatories 鈥� two space probes and one telescope 鈥� are taking unprecedented looks at our closest star.
First LookSolar Orbiter's frontier mission: capture 'symphony of the sun'Armed with an innovative heat shield, the U.S.-Europe collaboration will boldly go where no spacecraft has gone before 鈥� to photograph the sun's poles.
First LookAstronaut Christina Koch returns after setting space recordU.S. astronaut Christina Koch聽set the record for the longest stay in space by a woman,聽328 days. Her record offers new insights into the affects of weightlessness and space radiation on long spaceflights.
First LookWhat scientists hope to find in the Indian Ocean 'Midnight Zone'Scientists will dive thousands of feet into the Indian Ocean, where they expect to find new bioluminescent life 鈥� and the occasional聽plastic bag 鈥� hiding in the unexplored "Midnight Zone."聽
Behold the xenobots 鈥� part frog, part robot. But are they alive?A new class of robots, built from frog stem cells, is testing the boundaries of how we define life.
Say goodnight, Spitzer. Farewell to a groundbreaking space telescope.You鈥檝e likely heard of Hubble and Kepler. But the Spitzer was the Swiss Army knife of space telescopes.
The ExplainerCould 2020 mark a new era in US space exploration? Three questions.After a nearly decade-long hiatus, 2020 will be the year that American astronauts rocket into space from American soil once again.聽
For those about to rock: The scientist who played AC/DC for ladybugsWhere do ideas come from? For scientists like ecologist Brandon Barton, serious inquiry often starts with silly questions.
From rockets to cuddly foxes, kids books that inspire scientific curiosityFrom quantum physics for babies to Darwin for tweens, these titles promise to cultivate the budding scientist in your house.
Etched in DNA: Decoding the secrets of the pastWhat does it mean to be human? Ancient DNA helps paleoanthropologists聽probe deeper into our ancestral past.
First LookNASA astronaut sets new space endurance record for womenNASA astronaut Christina Koch broke聽the women's mark of 288 days in space.聽The U.S. record for longest space flight is 340 days set by Scott Kelly.
In the final frontier, how should we behave?Discovering alien life is no longer a matter of 鈥渋f.鈥� The launch of a new exoplanet-hunting space telescope, CHEOPS, brings that reality closer.
Needling question: Can science create a perfect Christmas tree?Gary Chastagner, a plant pathologist at Washington State University, has spent 40 years using science to try to engineer the perfect Christmas tree.
Interstellar visitors open new window to the cosmosComet Borisov, the second known visitor from outside our solar system, heralds a new kind of astronomy: one where celestial bodies come to us.聽
Science NotebookClimate change gets personal. Can one individual make a difference?While COP25 delegates negotiate international rules for the Paris climate agreement, we explore the role of the individual in climate action.聽
In Jordan鈥檚 desert, ancient rock art finds modern defendersA project to safeguard ancient inscriptions and drawings in a desert valley is helping local Bedouins to draw connections to the past.聽
鈥楶roperty鈥� or 鈥榩erson鈥�? How animal rights could open new moral frontier.Elephant in animal rights case waits for sanctuary, but an orangutan from Argentine zoo now lives in Florida. Advocates push for their personhood.聽
