SCIENCE

Big Problem in the Big Easy: Invasive Cuban Treefrogs Move into Louisiana

Cuban treefrogs are a major pest in south and central Florida. Now they're in New Orleans, too.

How 'Unconscious Bias' Can Trick Your Brain Into Trusting People (Even if You Shouldn't)

Watch out for confident people—they can fool you.

Alan Turing's Last Published Paper From 1952 Inspired the Invention of a New Water Filter

The purifier, which makes saltwater drinkable, is said to work three times as fast as current filters on the market.

From left: Wally Schirra, Deke Slayton, Gus Grissom, Christopher Craft of the Mercury Operations Division, Gordon Cooper, Scott Carpenter, John Glenn, and Alan Shepard.

Were You Meant to Be an Astronaut? Try Passing NASA's Project Mercury Intelligence Test

Would you have been qualified to be an astronaut back in 1958?

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0

7 Giant Machines That Changed the World—And 1 That Might

From a 17-mile-long particle accelerator to a football field–sized space observatory, these machines are marvels.

The Surprising Role Bats Play in Making Your Margarita

The winged mammals play a vital—albeit little-appreciated—role in agave production.

Scientists Share the Most Ridiculous Stock Photos of Their Jobs on Twitter

Some are inaccurate, and some are just weird.

New Contest Will Give Kids the Chance to Become Weather Channel Meteorologists for a Day

The weather report is about to get a whole lot cuter.

Scientists Figure Out Why Roses Don't Smell as Good as They Used To

Thanks to new research, we can look forward to sweeter-smelling roses in the future.

Why Can Parrots Talk?

Parrots can learn how to say hundreds of words—and even know what some of them mean.

This Is the Most Cited Academic Paper on Wikipedia

It appears on Wikipedia over 2.8 million times.

The Fascinating Science Behind Why We See 'Faces' In Objects

No, you're not the only one who has seen the face of Elvis in a potato chip.

Why Are Girls' Voices Usually Higher Than Boys' Voices?

It all comes down to vocal cords and hormones. Here's why girls' voices are usually higher than boys' voices.

Why Does It Rain?

With clouds, gravity pulls the water droplets out of the sky, and then they fall as rain. Here's why it rains.

Why Doesn’t the Ocean Freeze?

Actually, it does! You just have to be in a really cold place to see it.

Why Is Glue Sticky?

Glue is adhesive, which means it is sticky. It also has to be cohesive, meaning it sticks to itself. So how does glue do that?

World's Oldest Spider Dies in Australia at the Age of 43—From a Wasp Sting

RIP, Number 16.

NASA, Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

"People Have Been Killed for Less": The Bizarre Letters Sent to Presidential Science Advisors

Along with counseling the president on nuclear energy and space exploration, the advisors politely replied to wild scientific theories mailed in from around the country.

Is 'Dry Drowning' Real?

Don't let the viral stories scare you.

The Fascinating Way That Words Can Change How We Perceive Colors

Is it blue, green, or grue? The colors we see in the world aren't only a function of our eyesight. The language we speak can impact the colors we recognize.

Listen for Whales and Dolphins in This Live Stream from the Deep Ocean

After eavesdropping on the deep sea for years, researchers are sharing the feed with the public.

How You Act at Starbucks Might Reflect Your Ancestors' Farming Style

A new study on the behavior of Starbucks customers in China finds that differences between wheat- and rice-growing cultures last for generations, long after families have left farming life.

A Breakthrough Global Study of Depression Finds 44 Genetic Variants Linked to the Disease

In the largest study of its kind, researchers offer a major step forward in how we understand depression.

Fossilized Footprints Show Ice Age Hunters Ganged Up on Giant Sloths

Sloths—those symbols of loafers and loungers everywhere—weren't always so cute and cuddly.

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