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diverse teens
Top Story
Think you’re not biased? Think again
Everyone has unconscious biases about certain social groups — but there are ways to limit them
cave light
Ecosystems
 
Cool Jobs: Bringing caves' dark secrets to light
These scientists study caves to learn about geology, climate and life at extremes — possibly even in space
Jupiter spot

Caption: 

Jupiter was probably the first planet in the solar system to form, new research suggests. Its existence may have influenced how the planets evolved into the order we see today.

Credit: 

AMY A. SIMON, NASA, EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY
Planets
 
Jupiter may be the solar system’s oldest planet
Gas giant’s early existence may explain odd arrangement of planets in the solar system
mummy sarcophagus

Caption: 

New and extremely careful techniques now show Egyptian mummies can be a reliable source of ancient DNA. An analysis of 90 of these African mummies revealed family ties to the Middle East, not to other sites in Africa.

Credit: 

bpk/Aegyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung, SMB/Sandra Steiss
Archaeology
 
DNA from African mummies tie these folk to Middle Easterners
High-tech genetic methods and skilled techniques reveal genetic origin to the east, not the south
Ember goby
Ecosystems
 
Camera catches new fish species — as it’s eaten!
Invasive lionfish appear to threaten deep-reef species

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Trending
More U.S. teens now vape from electronic cigarettes than smoke conventional tobacco cigarettes. They may think the high-tech devices yield a safe kick from nicotine. New studies suggest that even vaping may pose serious health hazards.
Toxicology
Vaping may harm the lungs
exploding atomizer
Toxicology
Concerns explode over new health risks of vaping
dinosaur extinction
Fossils
What killed the dinosaurs?
Blogs
scientist
Scientists Say
Scientists Say: Catalyst
acoustic guitar
Scientists Say
Scientists Say: Acoustic
ladybug
Analyze This!
Analyze This: A massive annual insect migration
scientist
Chemistry
 
Scientists Say
Scientists Say: Catalyst
This is a material that brings chemical reactions up to speed
city trees
Pollution
 
Trees can make summer ozone levels much worse
The greenery releases chemicals, especially on hot days, which work with fossil-fuel pollution to make ozone
Hot exoplanet
Planets
 
Hot, hot planet sets sizzling new record
This odd exoplanet is hotter than many stars, astronomers say
lotsa breads
Health
 
Your gut’s germs may decide whether white bread or whole wheat is best — for you
Those bacteria can determine whether the body’s blood sugar levels will spike after eating certain starchy foods
orangutan baby

Caption: 

This baby orangutan may end up guzzling its mom’s milk for more than eight years. Their species is a record setter among wild mammals for how long they’ll depend on mother’s milk.

Credit: 

Tim Laman
Animals
 
Orangs nurse young for more than eight years!
With nursing tricky to watch in the wild, researchers do lab tests on teeth
Body & Brain
diverse teens
Psychology
Think you’re not biased? Think again
lotsa breads
Health
Your gut’s germs may decide whether white bread or whole wheat is best — for you
orangutan baby

Caption: 

This baby orangutan may end up guzzling its mom’s milk for more than eight years. Their species is a record setter among wild mammals for how long they’ll depend on mother’s milk.

Credit: 

Tim Laman
Animals
Orangs nurse young for more than eight years!
honey bee and flower
Animals
Popular pesticide may harm bee flight
Invention & Innovation
underwater robot
Robotics
Underwater robot vacuums up lionfish
native silver
Materials Science
Nanowires made from silver are super stretchy
Smart poster
Technology
These antennas turn anything into a radio station
Skin cell
Technology
‘Nanostraws’ safely sneak a peek inside cells
acoustic guitar
Physics
 
Scientists Say
Scientists Say: Acoustic
This word describes something involving hearing or sound
honey bee and flower
Animals
 
Popular pesticide may harm bee flight
Honeybees in the lab were sluggish after drinking nectar tainted with this chemical
worms stalactite
Microbes
 
World’s deepest zoo harbors clues to extraterrestrial life
Scientists have discovered a variety of living things deep below Earth’s surface
gravity waves
Astronomy
 
Gravitational waves detected yet again
These spacetime vibrations were kicked up by a merger of black holes 3 billion light-years away
fossil jaw
Human evolution
 
European fossils may belong to earliest known hominid
Teeth from this Graecopithecus suggest it may have been part of the human family tree
Cool Jobs
cave light
Ecosystems
Cool Jobs: Bringing caves' dark secrets to light
crime scene sample
Science & Society
Cool Jobs: New tools to solve crimes
food pile
Chemistry
Cool Jobs: Counting calories
man looking at clouds
Weather & Climate
Cool Jobs: Head in the clouds
Space
Jupiter spot

Caption: 

Jupiter was probably the first planet in the solar system to form, new research suggests. Its existence may have influenced how the planets evolved into the order we see today.

Credit: 

AMY A. SIMON, NASA, EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY
Planets
Jupiter may be the solar system’s oldest planet
Hot exoplanet
Planets
Hot, hot planet sets sizzling new record
gravity waves
Astronomy
Gravitational waves detected yet again
Jupiter’s pole
Planets
Jupiter gets surprisingly complex new portrait
methane plumes
Earth
 
Ancient Arctic ‘gas’ melt triggered enormous seafloor explosions
Telltale monster craters reveal a violent side to melting ice — one that could repeat soon
ladybug
Animals
 
Analyze This!
Analyze This: A massive annual insect migration
Trillions of tiny travelers in the sky add up to a massive migration
flamingos balancing
Body functions
 
How a flamingo balances on one leg
These extreme bird balancers stay upright with little muscle effort
Grand prismatic spring
Animals
 
Scientists Say
Scientists Say: Extremophile
This is an organism that can live in an extreme environment, such as high heat or acidity
antibiotic protein
Chemistry
 
New rules point scientists toward next-gen germ-killers
Chemists uncover the tricks compounds use to move inside many bacteria
Latest Headlines
cave light
Ecosystems
Cool Jobs: Bringing caves' dark secrets to light
Jupiter spot

Caption: 

Jupiter was probably the first planet in the solar system to form, new research suggests. Its existence may have influenced how the planets evolved into the order we see today.

Credit: 

AMY A. SIMON, NASA, EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY
Planets
Jupiter may be the solar system’s oldest planet
mummy sarcophagus

Caption: 

New and extremely careful techniques now show Egyptian mummies can be a reliable source of ancient DNA. An analysis of 90 of these African mummies revealed family ties to the Middle East, not to other sites in Africa.

Credit: 

bpk/Aegyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung, SMB/Sandra Steiss
Archaeology
DNA from African mummies tie these folk to Middle Easterners
Ember goby
Ecosystems
Camera catches new fish species — as it’s eaten!
Math & Technology
underwater robot
Robotics
Underwater robot vacuums up lionfish
shade balls
Technology
Maybe ‘shade balls’ should not be balls
brain-sparking

Caption: 

Epilepsy is characterized by an uncontrolled series of electrical discharges in the brain that leads to seizures.

Credit: 

Ralwel/iStockphoto
Computers & Electronics
When is an epileptic seizure about to strike?
blood cells
Technology
Needle-free blood typing may be on the way