1392 Items Tagged

Science

The Milky Way and curtain-like auroras fill a clear southern sky off Nugget Point, at the edge of New Zealand’s remote Catlins. While the island nation is too far north to see the aurora australis regularly, aurora-hunters flock to the Nugget Point lighthouse area for its dark skies and unobstructed view off the South Island’s southeastern coast.

Aurora Hunters Capture the Wonder of the Northern (and Southern) Lights

A curated collection of images shows why this natural phenomenon has fascinated and inspired humans for millennia.

Gemma Tarlach December 21, 2022

Hawai'i Tackles Invasive Little Fire Ants With Vigilance, Slingshots, and Gooey 'Sputter'

Across the archipelago, scientists and citizens are uniting against the tiny terrors, deploying an arsenal of creative weapons.

Ashley Stimpson December 14, 2022

Iowa’s Ancient Apex Predator Was the ‘T. rex’ of Its Day

The monstrous menace known as Whatcheeria hints that our distant ancestors may have been more like us than we thought.

Gemma Tarlach December 2, 2022

Laurier University scientist William Quinton and a group of Indigenous Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́ walk through a bog near the Scotty Creek Research Station in the Northwest Territories.

Canada's First Indigenous-Led Research Station Is a Symbol of Hope—And Our Climate Crisis

The Scotty Creek facility was part of an unprecedented First Nations effort to study and save the Arctic. Then the fire came.

Ed Struzik November 28, 2022

Physics of the Sun

Changikhisarak, Uzbekistan

Physics of the Sun

More than 10,000 small mirrors cover the curved surface of the world's second-largest solar oven, located in a remote village in Uzbekistan.

The Grady sisters, from Stanley Kubrick's <em>The Shining</em>, played by Lisa and Louise Burns, are among the most iconic pop culture twins.

The Psychology Behind Why Identical Twins Inspire Fascination—and Fear

A history of othering, experimentation, and mystery.

Sarah Durn November 22, 2022

Parts of the Buffalo area saw more than 6 feet of snow over three days in November 2022.

What Is Lake-Effect Snow?

A snowstorm that slammed into Western New York left more than six feet of snow in places. Blame the Great Lakes.

Michael A. Rawlins November 21, 2022

Podcast: Larry Spring Museum of Common Sense Physics

Exploring the intersection between science and folk art.

The Podcast Team November 16, 2022

At 10-times magnification, sand from Alaska's Point Spencer resembles semiprecious stones.

These Tiny Jewels Come From One of Alaska's Most Unusual Beaches

This microscopic treasure was collected from a remote site near the Arctic Circle.

Gemma Tarlach November 15, 2022

With ice as the medium, wind, water, and falling objects create art on a frozen lake in Slovenia.

How Water, Wind, and Chance Sculpted an Icy Work of Art

Lake stars, ice rings, and other natural phenomena brought magic to a small Slovenian lake.

Gemma Tarlach November 10, 2022

Podcast: Laguna Del Diamante

What a toxic Andean lake has to say about the dawn of life.

The Podcast Team November 7, 2022

Cesare Lombroso, a prominent 19th-century Italian scientist, based his life's work on the skull of a man he called "brigand Villella"—but little was known about Giuseppe Villella until recently.

Why is Everyone Fighting Over the Skull of 'Brigand Villella'?

The answer involves pseudoscience, politics, and a burglary at a windmill.

Dania Rodrigues November 4, 2022

The 17th-century blood jam recipe recommended using fluid drained from “persons of warm, moist temperament.”

The Strange Endurance of Consuming Human Blood for Our Health

From draining slain gladiators to modern-day "sangs," people have long looked to blood as a panacea.

Mark Hay October 31, 2022

Paul Gong, <em>Human Hyena</em>, 2014.

A Cookbook for Surviving the End of the World

Fancy a spit-roasted roasted alien? Urine whiskey? A deep-fried Game Boy?

Sam Lin-Sommer October 26, 2022

Why Horror Is So Damned Fun

We go inside Denmark’s Recreational Fear Lab to learn why our brains crave a good scare.

Samir S. Patel October 26, 2022

Fruiting bodies of the parasitic fungus <em>Ophiocordyceps</em> emerge from the body of a fly in Tambopata National Reserve, Peru. This photo won top prize in the 2022 <em>BMC Ecology and Evolution</em> image competition.

Real Zombies and Body Snatchers Live Among Us

A creepy form of parasitism is one of evolution's favorite strategies, and scientists are starting to figure out how it works.

Gemma Tarlach October 20, 2022

Tuberculosis—or consumption, as it was known in the 1800s—was often associated with vampirism. Those suffering from the disease grew pale and weak, as seen in this photomontage from 1858.

The Real-Life Vampire Autopsies of the Victorian Era

When medicine and folklore collide, strange things happen.

April White October 14, 2022

A farmer in Ethiopia cradles a handful of maslin, mixed grains including different varieties of wheat and barley that are grown together.

This Nearly Lost Ancient Grain Tradition Could Be the Future of Farming

A past global staple you've never heard of, maslins are poised for a comeback.

Gemma Tarlach October 13, 2022