How brainy was Tyrannosaurus rex? It depends on who you ask. Last year, the iconic dinosaur received the glow up of a lifetime. Neuroscientist Suzana Herculano-Houzel calculated that the fearsome reptile had 3.3 billion neurons — nerve cells — in just one part of the front of its brain. The discovery seemed to put the…
A never-before-seen type of eruption explosively blasted debris high into the sky from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano in 2018. It wasn’t one big ka-pow! Kilauea had been erupting lava. Then a series of 12 strange blasts occurred over a span of 11 days. These blasts sent gas, ash and rock eight kilometers (five miles) into the…
In the weird world of “fairy lanterns,” there’s a new species to admire. The mysterious parasitic herb looks like something from another planet. It’s a member of the genus Thismia. These tend to have pint-size flowers that come in wacky shapes and bright colors. Those weird blooms evolved to lure in fungus gnats and other…
They say that going to space changes you. The idea is that people get a new perspective from seeing our world from above. It’s called the Overview Effect. But a new project offers clues to how spaceflight also changes our bodies. This Space Omics and Medical Atlas — or SOMA — has measured a broad…
Beakiation (noun, “Beek-ee-AY-shun”) Beakiation is a technique that parrots use to move along thin branches. Scientists recently discovered beakiation in experiments with a parrot species called rosy-faced lovebirds (Agapornis roseicollis). These birds are native to dry woodlands in southwestern Africa. To beakiate, a parrot first hangs from a branch with both feet. Second, the bird…
For the first time, an orangutan has been seen doctoring a wound. Scientists describe it as the first evidence of a wild animal caring for a wound using a natural substance that’s known to aid healing. Researchers shared their discovery May 2 in Scientific Reports. The team had been studying great apes in Indonesia’s Gunung…
For a long time, scientists thought Venus was geologically dead. But newfound evidence suggests active volcanoes may be common on this second planet from the sun. The finding emerged during a careful review of photos taken more than 30 years ago. “This definitely is another step in the path to understanding Venus as a living,…
Ivory is so popular that poachers regularly kill elephants for their tusks. To stop the slaughter of these animals, most nations banned the international sale of elephant ivory in 1989. Those laws have not totally stopped poachers. But lasers might, scientists now report. Ivory is the hard material that makes up the tusks of several…
Kids like Tola Martins in Disney’s Iwájú don’t drive to school, they fly. Harry Potter and Ron Weasley pulled a similar stunt when they missed the train to Hogwarts. As did Flint Lockwood when he had to stop a giant spaghetti storm in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Flying cars have soared through sci-fi…
Superconductor (noun, “SOOP-er-con-DUCK-tor”) A superconductor is a material that conducts electricity without resistance. Many materials conduct electricity. That is, they allow electric currents to flow through them. Such materials are called conductors. For instance, metal wires conduct electricity that powers our electronics and home appliances. But in almost all conductors, electric currents meet some resistance….
It was a drizzly day, last year, when two researchers first took on the Wall of Death. This amusement park attraction near Parma, Italy, looks something like a giant wooden barrel with the top sawed off. But on this dreary day, exercise physiologists had commandeered the Wall for science. They would test its potential as…
Earth’s tundra is warming about four times faster than the rest of the planet. The rising fever in this Arctic ecosystem is boosting the production of carbon dioxide (CO2) by underground microbes, a new study suggests. If true, it could be setting up a feedback loop that leads to even more warming. Small shrubs, grasses…
Like most little kids, Anne Kort was fascinated by dinosaurs. But by high school, she had become interested in other kinds of prehistoric life. “I just wanted to learn about everything that wasn’t a dinosaur,” says Kort. “I like all the weird things.” She found one weird thing while working on her master’s degree. She…
ChatGPT and other artificial-intelligence tools are already reshaping our digital lives. But our AI interactions are now about to get physical. Humanoid robots powered by a certain type of AI could better sense and react to the world than past machines. Such agile robots might lend a hand in factories, space stations and beyond. The type of…
Astronomical interferometry (noun, “As-troh-NAH-mih-kul IN-tur-fur-AH-meh-tree”) Astronomical interferometry is a technique to view distant things in space. It combines data from multiple telescopes to image a celestial object. When light collected by two or more telescopes is mixed, those light waves interfere with each other. This creates an interference pattern. Scientists can use that pattern to…
Objective: Measure the speed of light in gelatin using a laser pointer Areas of science: Physics Difficulty: Easy advanced Time required: 6–10 days Prerequisites: Basic understanding of optics and trigonometry Material availability: Readily available Cost: $20–$50 Safety: Adult supervision is recommended. Even low-power lasers can cause permanent eye damage. Please carefully review and follow the Laser…
Some 230 million people in the United States face the risk of damaging earthquakes in the next 100 years. That’s according to the latest U.S. National Seismic Hazard Model, or NSHM. The NSHM estimates the risk of earthquakes based on historical data and seismic studies. The number of people expected to be at risk by…
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Many people reach for a bandage when they get a cut. Fewer people reach for their spice cabinet. But Ishita Mukadam learned that turmeric seems to help heal wounds. So she’s now created a biodegradable bandage infused with this bright yellow spice. It also signals when a sore becomes infected. “Turmeric…
The runner on the treadmill at the University of Washington wasn’t your typical gym rat. For one thing, he kept sprinting to the front of the treadmill and riding it to the back. For another, he had six legs. The Seattle athlete was a fruit fly — officially known as Drosophila melanogaster. And for the…
Excitation (noun, “Eck-sy-TAY-shun”) In chemistry, the word “excitation” refers to adding energy to electrons in atoms. Atoms consist of three main types of particles. Those are protons, neutrons and electrons. Protons and neutrons make up the atom’s nucleus. But electrons reside in the space outside the nucleus. Out there, electrons occupy different energy levels. “Ground…
Thump, thump, thump — swoosh! Basketballs have been dribbled across courts and shot through the air for nearly 150 years. In all that time, the look and feel of those balls has remained almost the same. But that could soon change. Throughout history, these balls have been made of eight or 10 panels of either…
The universe may have something in common with a doughnut. Doughnuts have a complex shape — what mathematicians would call a “nontrivial topology.” In a universe with such a complex shape, you could travel across the cosmos and end up back where you started. Past research seemed to rule out that our universe is like…
Organisms that give off their own light are called bioluminescent. This ability to glow in the dark may have first evolved much earlier than scientists thought — half a billion years ago. Corals lit up the deep, dark sea way back then, new research suggests. If true, they’ve broken the record for oldest known glowing…
Doctors have several ways to test for disease. They might swab someone’s nose, collect their urine or draw blood for analysis. Menstrual blood has not traditionally been used in this way. But it might soon. In January, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first health test based on period blood. The test is…
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — More than two years ago, Russia launched a takeover attempt against neighboring Ukraine. Volodymyr Borysenko wanted to help his country defend itself in the invasion that followed. The rising 12th grader attends Cherkasy School Number 28 in Ukraine. He has just developed software that simulates battles in a new way. He hopes…
Endotherm and ectotherm (nouns, “END-oh-therm” and “EK-toh-therm”) Endotherms and ectotherms are two types of animals. They control their body temperatures in different ways. Endotherms can control how much heat they generate internally to maintain a certain body temperature. So they tend to stay at about the same temperature no matter the temperature of their environment…
Life for a bumblebee queen isn’t always regal, nor cushy. In the spring, she starts to build her colony. But before that, she must survive winter by hibernating alone underground, at risk of floods and other hazards. Fortunately, these sturdy queens are no divas. Researchers have found that hibernating bumblebee queens can survive being submerged…
It’s not every day you stumble across a dinosaur fossil. But three kids spotted one that could help science better understand the ancient king of beasts. Brothers Jessin and Liam Fisher, and their cousin Kaiden Madsen, discovered a rare juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex fossil. They found it while roaming around North Dakota’s famed Hell Creek formation…
