Science
How snakes use patterns of invisible colors
How snakes use patterns of invisible colors A new study uncovers the secret color language of snakes. The new study examines a color range that humans can’t see and often ignore: color in the ultraviolet range. Examining snakes, the researchers categorized how the animals used patterns of UV color and tested for factors that promote […]
🔬 Science
How many types of insects are there in the world?
How many types of insects are there in the world? This is a close-up photo of an ordinary garden fly. Amith Nag Photography/Moment via Getty Images Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com. How many types of […]
🔬 Science
Gas hunt may reveal signs of alien life on distant planets
Gas hunt may reveal signs of alien life on distant planets Researchers have identified a promising new way to detect life on faraway planets. Their approach hinges on worlds that look nothing like Earth and gases rarely considered in the search for extraterrestrials. In a new Astrophysical Journal Letters paper, the researchers describe these gases, […]
🔬 Science
A steady gaze may set you up for better performance
A steady gaze may set you up for better performance New research identifies the links between a steady gaze and elite performance. In his book on basketball great Bill Bradley, writer John McPhee proposes that Bradley’s greatest asset had little to do with speed, strength, or agility. It had to do, McPhee says, with his […]
🔬 Science
Amid a tropical paradise known as ‘Lizard Island,’ researchers are cracking open evolution’s black box – scientist at work
Amid a tropical paradise known as ‘Lizard Island,’ researchers are cracking open evolution’s black box – scientist at work After gathering data on the captured anole, the team releases it back to the wild. Neil Losin/Day’s Edge Prods. Every morning in Miami, our fieldwork begins the same way. Fresh Cuban coffee and pastelitos – delicious […]
🔬 Science
What causes the powerful winds that fuel dust storms, wildfires and blizzards? A weather scientist explains
What causes the powerful winds that fuel dust storms, wildfires and blizzards? A weather scientist explains When huge dust storms like this one in the Phoenix suburbs in 2022 hit, it's easy to see the power of the wind. Christopher Harris/iStock Images via Getty Plus Windstorms can seem like they come out of nowhere, hitting […]
🔬 Science
Researchers created sound that can bend itself through space, reaching only your ear in a crowd
Researchers created sound that can bend itself through space, reaching only your ear in a crowd For your ears only. Cinefootage Visuals/iStock via Getty Images Plus What if you could listen to music or a podcast without headphones or earbuds and without disturbing anyone around you? Or have a private conversation in public without other […]
🔬 Science
Plastic pyrolysis − chemists explain a technique attempting to tackle plastic waste by bringing the heat
Plastic pyrolysis − chemists explain a technique attempting to tackle plastic waste by bringing the heat Large proportions of plastic waste don't get recycled. Westend61 via Getty Images Plus In 1950, global plastic production was about 2 million tons. It’s now about 400 million tons – an increase of nearly 20,000%. As a material, it […]
🔬 Science
New tech could speed drug development and use fewer mice
New tech could speed drug development and use fewer mice Researchers have developed a technology that can be used to test around 25 antibodies simultaneously in a single mouse. New active ingredients such as antibodies are usually tested individually in laboratory animals. The new work should not only speed up the research and development pipeline […]
🔬 Science
Humans aren’t the only animals with complex culture − but researchers point to one feature that makes ours unique
Humans aren’t the only animals with complex culture − but researchers point to one feature that makes ours unique A ritual dance honoring Yoruban ancestors is one of the countless examples of human culture. Jorge Fernández/LightRocket via Getty Images Of the 8.7 million species on Earth, why are human beings the only one that paints […]
🔬 Science
Cuts to research into inequality, disparities and other DEIA topics harm science
Cuts to research into inequality, disparities and other DEIA topics harm science Scientists across the U.S. and in other countries have rallied in reaction to the Trump administration’s cuts to major science agencies. Mohamad Salaheldin Abdelg Alsayed/Anadolu via Getty Images When I taught research methods to undergraduates, I would start by asking whether anyone in […]
🔬 Science
Cheese made with peas tastes like the real thing
Cheese made with peas tastes like the real thing Researchers have created a hybrid version of paneer, a popular South Asian cheese, with 25% pea protein. The result is a solid step towards more sustainable dairy products with nutritional benefits. It is no secret that, as a dairy product, heavy cheese consumption comes with a […]
🔬 Science
Cells lining your skin and organs can generate electricity when injured − potentially opening new doors to treating wounds
Cells lining your skin and organs can generate electricity when injured − potentially opening new doors to treating wounds Your skin cells can generate electricity when wounded. Torsten Wittmann, University of California, San Francisco/NIH via Flickr, CC BY-NC Your cells constantly generate and conduct electricity that runs through your body to perform various functions. One […]
🔬 Science
Can animals make art?
Can animals make art? A male satin bowerbird stands before his creation. Ken Griffiths/iStock via Getty Images In the forests of eastern Australia, satin bowerbirds create structures known as “bowers.” The males gather twigs and place them upright, in two bundles, with a gap in the middle, resulting in what looks like a miniature archway. […]
🔬 Science
Bacteria technique can boost plant growth
Bacteria technique can boost plant growth Researchers have shown off a new technique for encapsulating bacteria that can then be stored and applied to plants to improve growth and protect against pests and pathogens. The technique opens the door to creating a wide range of crop applications that allow farmers to make use of these […]
🔬 Science
Atlantic sturgeon were fished almost to extinction − ancient DNA reveals how Chesapeake Bay population changed over centuries
Atlantic sturgeon were fished almost to extinction − ancient DNA reveals how Chesapeake Bay population changed over centuries Sturgeon can be several hundred pounds each. cezars/E+ via Getty Images Sturgeons are one of the oldest groups of fishes. Sporting an armor of five rows of bony, modified scales called dermal scutes and a sharklike tail […]
🔬 Science
62-million-year-old skeleton sheds light on mysterious mammal
62-million-year-old skeleton sheds light on mysterious mammal A remarkably well-preserved skeleton of Mixodectes pungens offers insights into mammals’ evolutionary trajectory after non-avian dinosaur extinction. For more than 140 years, Mixodectes pungens, a species of small mammal that inhabited western North America in the early Paleocene, was a mystery. What little was known about them had […]
🔬 Science
Why is Mars red? The mystery may finally be solved
Why is Mars red? The mystery may finally be solved Scientists may finally have the answer to the question of why Mars is red. Mars has captivated scientists and the public alike for centuries. One reason is the planet’s reddish hue, earning the fourth rock from the sun its best-known nickname—the “Red Planet.” But what […]
🔬 Science
Watch: Prosthetic robot hand ‘knows’ what it’s touching
Watch: Prosthetic robot hand ‘knows’ what it’s touching Engineers have developed a pioneering prosthetic hand that can grip plush toys, water bottles, and other everyday objects like a human. The hand carefully conforms and adjusts its grasp to avoid damaging or mishandling whatever it holds. The system’s hybrid design is a first for robotic hands, […]
🔬 Science
The world regulated sulfur in ship fuels − and the lightning stopped
The world regulated sulfur in ship fuels − and the lightning stopped Lightning strikes the Mediterranean Sea. Matko Begovic/PIXSELL via Xinhua, via Getty Images If you look at a map of lightning near the Port of Singapore, you’ll notice an odd streak of intense lightning activity right over the busiest shipping lane in the world. […]
🔬 Science
Taking a leap of faith into imaginary numbers opens new doors in the real world through complex analysis
Taking a leap of faith into imaginary numbers opens new doors in the real world through complex analysis Imaginary numbers push the boundaries of calculus and other branches of math. Hill Street Studios/DigitalVision via Getty Images To a nonmathematician, having the letter “i” represent a number that does not quite exist and is “imaginary” can […]
🔬 Science
Radioisotope generators − inside the ‘nuclear batteries’ that power faraway spacecraft
Radioisotope generators − inside the ‘nuclear batteries’ that power faraway spacecraft Voyager 1, shown in this illustration, has operated for decades thanks to a radioisotope power system. NASA via AP Powering spacecraft with solar energy may not seem like a challenge, given how intense the Sun’s light can feel on Earth. Spacecraft near the Earth […]
🔬 Science
Pupils shed light on the brain during sleep
Pupils shed light on the brain during sleep For the first time, researchers have been able to observe how the pupils react during sleep over a period of several hours. A look under the eyelids showed them that more happens in the brain during sleep than was previously assumed. Our eyes are typically closed when […]
🔬 Science
Mission possible − parastronaut programs can make space travel more inclusive and attainable for all
Mission possible − parastronaut programs can make space travel more inclusive and attainable for all The European Space Agency's astronaut cohort includes a parastronaut, as part of a feasability project. AP Photo/Francois Mori Humans will likely set foot on the Moon again in the coming decade. While many stories in this new chapter of lunar […]
🔬 Science
Is ranch dressing a liquid or a solid? A physicist explains
Is ranch dressing a liquid or a solid? A physicist explains It pours like a liquid but maintains its shape like a solid. Jack Andersen/Stone via Getty Images Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com. Is ranch […]
🔬 Science
How do researchers determine how toxic a chemical is? A toxicologist explains alternatives to animal testing
How do researchers determine how toxic a chemical is? A toxicologist explains alternatives to animal testing A vast number of chemicals are registered for production and use around the world. But only a portion have been thoroughly evaluated for their toxicity due to time, cost, ethical concerns and regulatory limitations. To safeguard public health, researchers […]
🔬 Science
How an unexpected observation, a 10th-century recipe and an explorer’s encounter with a cabbage thief upend what we know about collard greens’ journey to the American South
How an unexpected observation, a 10th-century recipe and an explorer’s encounter with a cabbage thief upend what we know about collard greens’ journey to the American South Collard greens − a staple of diets across the African diaspora. Bronwen Powell/Abderrahim Ouarghidi, CC BY For generations, collard greens have formed an important part of African and […]
🔬 Science
During hibernation, these lemurs defy cellular aging
During hibernation, these lemurs defy cellular aging Hibernating lemurs can turn back the clock on cellular aging, researchers report. We’re all familiar with the outward signs of aging. But many age-related changes start within our cells, even our DNA, which can wear and tear over time as we get older. Some creatures have come up […]
🔬 Science
3D printing will help space pioneers make homes, tools and other stuff they need to colonize the Moon and Mars
3D printing will help space pioneers make homes, tools and other stuff they need to colonize the Moon and Mars 3D printing could make many of the components for future structures on Mars. 3000ad/iStock via Getty Images Plus Throughout history, when pioneers set out across uncharted territory to settle in distant lands, they carried with […]
🔬 Science
People didn’t kill Ice Age mammoths like in the movies
People didn’t kill Ice Age mammoths like in the movies To kill mammoths in the Ice Age, people used planted pikes, not throwing spears, researchers say. They say the findings might help resolve the debate about Clovis points and reshape how we think about hunting some 13,000 years ago. How did early humans use sharpened […]
🔬 Science