Planet Earth

Workers at the Minnesota helium drilling site test a gas pipe.

Massive helium reservoir in Minnesota could solve US shortage

By Sascha Pare published

A helium reservoir with the highest concentrations ever seen could hold enough of the gas to address critical shortages in the U.S. affecting tech, medicine and space exploration.

Geology
Lumps of silver on a wet stone floor.

Silver is being buried beneath the sea, and it's all because of climate change, study finds

By Sascha Pare published

For the first time, researchers have linked the amount of silver being buried in marine sediments to human-made climate change.

Rivers & Oceans
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Space

Three of the best star projectors on a colorful background

Best star projectors 2024: Bring the cosmos indoors

By Tantse Walter last updated

BUYING GUIDE The best star projectors transform your home into a mesmerizing, other-worldly space — whether you want to sleep under the stars or learn more about astronomy.

BUYING GUIDE
An artist's interpretation of a shiny silver solar sail in space above Earth

NASA's newly unfurled solar sail has started 'tumbling' end-over-end in orbit, surprising observations show

By Harry Baker published

A NASA spacecraft erected a large, foil solar sail in orbit around Earth last week, after a failed attempt days earlier. However, subsequent observations of the spacecraft show it is "tumbling or wobbling" through space, which may have also impacted its trajectory around our planet.

Space Exploration
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archaeology

A burial mound made out of small stones with a cross shape intersecting it

Mysterious 'mustached' burial mounds in Kazakhstan date to the Middle Ages

By Owen Jarus published

Archaeologists in Kazakhstan have discovered 10 kurgans, or burial mounds, dating to the Middle Ages, and some have "mustaches."

Archaeology
A photo of two horses walking among sand dunes

Horse domestication didn't happen the way we think it did

By William Taylor published

New analyses of bones, teeth, genetics and artifacts suggest it's time to revise a long-standing hypothesis for how humans domesticated horses.

Archaeology
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Health

woman and man sit next to each other at a coffee shop, smiling softly as if on a date

How to tell you're in love with someone, according to science

By Robin Nixon Pompa, Patrick Pester last updated

Reference Your brain and behaviors tell you you're in love in a variety of ways. Here's 14 signs you've been struck by Cupid.

Reference
Medical illustration showing a molecule of DNA that is forming an i-motif against a black background. The i-motif is in the middle of the image and a y-shaped antibody is next to it. The DNA molecule and the antibody are multi-colored.

50,000 'knots' scattered throughout our DNA control gene activity

By Emily Cooke published

The mapping of 50,000 mysterious "knots" in the human genome may someday lead to the development of new cancer drugs, researchers say.

Genetics
Aviron Strong Series Rower being tested in our full review

Aviron Strong Series Rower review

By Anna Gora published

The Aviron Strong Series Rower makes rowing fun, but can this beast of a machine keep us coming back for more?

Exercise
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Animals

A cat with a ball in its mouth

Over 40% of pet cats play fetch — but scientists aren't quite sure why

By Skyler Ware published

About 40% of cats play fetch with their owners, but it's not clear why.

Domestic Cats
three orcas underwater with one breaking the surface

Boat-ramming orcas may be using yachts as target practice toys, scientists suggest

By Melissa Hobson published

Orcas off the coasts of Spain and Portugal may be using boats as targets to practice hunting their favorite food, Atlantic bluefin tuna.

Orcas
a large black tarantula stands over a small frog on orange leaves

We now know why tarantulas are hairy — to stop army ants eating them alive

By Patrick Pester published

Tarantulas' hairy bodies protect against the scavenging, spider-eating army ants that clean their nests, scientists say.

Spiders
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Human Behavior

Girl reading books in front of a cartoon space scene

19 best science books for kids and young adults

By Ben Biggs last updated

Looking to inspire the next generation of curious minds? These are our picks of the best popular science books for children of all ages.

Human Behavior
A woman smiles watching a soccer game, while a man next her sits looking bored on his phone

Do opposites really attract in relationships?

By Alice Sun published

When it comes to love, the adage is that opposites attract. But does that really hold?

Human Behavior
Two people bike up a mountain

'I'm as happy as I've ever been in my life': Why some people feel happiness near death

By Mattias Tranberg published

A palliative care researcher explains how death can help people appreciate life.

Human Behavior
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Physics & Mathematics

A photo of an amusement park ride where riders rotate on swings.

What are centrifugal and centripetal forces?

By Jim Lucas last updated

reference Centrifugal and centripetal are two closely related forces that describe circular motion, but the meanings are often mixed up.

reference
An illustration showing various aspects of the early universe, including radiation generated by the Big Bang and ancient black holes

The universe had a secret life before the Big Bang, new study hints

By Andrey Feldman published

The secrets of black holes and dark matter could lie before the Big Bang, a new study of "bouncing" cosmology hints.

Dark Matter
An abstract model of an atom with electrons swirling around in their shells.

World's fastest microscope can see electrons moving

By Ben Turner published

Scientists have created the world's fastest microscope, which they hope will answer fundamental questions about how electrons behave.

Physics & Mathematics
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Chemistry

A close-up of a piece of steak being cooked on the grill

What happens to meat as it's cooked?

By Margaret Osborne published

Heat triggers a series of complex chemical reactions that change the color, flavor and texture of meat.

Chemistry
A Large, long white anhydrous ammonia tank with corn grain bins in background at a grain elevator company.

New reactor could more than triple the yield of one of the world's most valuable chemicals

By Victoria Atkinson published

A new reactor creates ammonia from polluted wastewater using electricity, and it's way more efficient than existing methods.

Chemistry
A young boy covers his ear as a subway train screeches by

Why does metal squeak?

By Sarah Wells published

Squeaking metal can be grating on the nerves, but it serves an important purpose.

Chemistry
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Tech

Two pairs of the best binoculars for stargazing against a starry sky background

Best binoculars for stargazing 2024: Spot stars and galaxies

By Julie Ann Howlett last updated

The best binoculars for stargazing need high magnification and large, light-hungry objective lenses — we've rounded up the best models on the market.

Tech
A red computer chip with data coming in and out

Specialist 'carbon nanotube' AI chip built by Chinese scientists is 1st of its kind and '1,700 times more efficient' than Google's

By Owen Hughes published

Scientists in China have developed a tensor processing unit (TPU) that uses carbon-based transistors instead of silicon – and they say it's extremely energy efficient.

Electronics
woman photographing the night sky with one of the best astrophotography cameras

Best astrophotography cameras 2024: Capture the cosmos

By James Artaius last updated

BUYING GUIDE The best astrophotography cameras need to have outstanding low-light performance and feel like an extension of your hand in the dark — here are our favorites.

BUYING GUIDE
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