SCIENCE

Humans Saved Gourds and Pumpkins From Extinction

Thanks to our ancestors' green thumbs, we can enjoy Thanksgiving staples like pumpkin pie today.

Look Up Tonight! The Leonid Meteor Shower Will Blaze Across the Sky

The celestial show occurs every November.

Why Is Your Cat Such a Picky Eater? Blame Bitter Taste Receptors

The downside of refined tastes.

Trick Your Brain Into Seeing This Black-and-White Photo In Color

There's some neat science behind this freaky trick.

Gabriella Skollar via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0

Tiny Mouse Lemurs Can Pull 10 Times Their Body Weight

Gray mouse lemurs are buff.

Scientists Identify Proteins That Align with Magnetic Fields

Scientists have discovered a protein complex in several species that aligns itself with magnetic fields.

The Snacks-by-Mail Company Graze Turns Snacking into a Science

When they’re delivered, the boxes look almost like a regular package: Plain brown cardboard, small enough to fit in the mailbox. But these boxes aren’t regular packages, because inside, there are snacks.

15 Adorable Facts About How Babies Learn

Things that help babies learn: naps, surprise, and laughter.

X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO/K. Poppenhaeger et al; Illustration: NASA/CXC/M. Weiss

Scientists Discover 5400-MPH Winds on an Exoplanet

The technique the researchers used to detect the stiff breeze could be used in the hunt for Earth-like planets.

Astronomers Have Discovered the Oldest Stars Ever Seen in Our Galaxy

They formed just 300 million years after the Big Bang.

Scientific Evidence That Babies Like Lullabies

In one study, babies stayed calm for longer while listening to a song than to human speech.

Humans Have Used Honeybees for 9000 Years

Researchers have found chemical evidence indicating that Europe's early farmers exploited bees for their wax and honey.

Water on Earth Can Be Traced Back to Our Planet's Creation

Geological evidence suggests Earth's water is as old as the planet itself.

7 Unusual Genomes Sequenced by Scientists

Among the things we've learned from sequencing these genomes: While humans have but two sex chromosomes (x or y), the platypus has 10—five of each kind.

Sewage Samples Could Be Used to Prevent the Next Viral Outbreak

Researchers at MIT are gathering city data from an unusual source.

University of Cuyo Publisher (Argentina) via Salas et al. in Nature

Scientists Discover a Rare Genome in an Incan Child Mummy

The boy was only 7 when he died more than 500 years ago, chosen for his beauty and health to be sacrificed in an Incan ritual.

Jellyfish Don’t Swim So Much as Suction Through the Ocean

A new study finds that lampreys and jellyfish create suction that propels them forward in the water.

Out of Bug Spray? Try Victoria’s Secret Perfume

A new study suggests that Victoria’s Secret Bombshell perfume can repel mosquitoes.

Itsy-Bitsy Arachnids Use Bats as Airplanes

Scientists spotted tiny pseudoscorpions stowing away in bat fur in New Zealand.

Why Do I Sweat More Than Everyone Else?!

No two people sweat alike, and there are a lot of reasons why.

How Some Birds Evolved to Build Protected Nests

Birds' nests are as diverse as the creatures who build them. The variety of locations, shapes, and sizes they’re built in and the materials they’re made from can be staggering.

The Volunteers in This Extreme 1965 Isolation Study Lost Track of Entire Weeks

In 1965, a midwife and a furniture maker volunteered to spend several months in isolation—just to see what would happen.

Can Drinking Champagne Really Save Your Memory?

The results of a 2013 study on champagne and memory resurfaced this week, prompting bottle-popping across the Internet.

People Feel Older When They're in a Bad Mood, Study Suggests

Or we are in a bad mood when we feel older.

PREV NEXT