All Stories

Environment

Leaky sewer pipes pollute urban streams and bays with drugs

Scientists find that leaking sewer pipes around Baltimore, Md., spew thousands of doses of medicines into the Chesapeake Bay and other waterways.

Plants

Let’s learn about meat-eating plants

Carnivorous plants use a variety of strategies to lure in and capture their prey, from sticky traps to jawlike leaves.

Tech

Someday soon, smartwatches may know you’re sick before you do

Such an early detection of flu-like infections could tell you when to avoid others to limit the spread of disease.

Climate

Scientists Say: El Niño and La Niña

El Niño and La Niña are part of a climate cycle that results in major weather changes every few years.

Space

Explainer: Calculating a star’s age

Scientists can figure out a star's mass or composition pretty easily. Determining how old that star is, however, is a lot harder.

Computing

Easy for you, tough for a robot

Robots still can’t do many things that we find easy. Can engineers reduce how klutzy robots are and boost their common sense?

Climate

Here’s how some sea-loving trees ended up far from the coast

This “relict ecosystem” that’s more than thousands of years old moved inland due to warming and a rise in sea levels.

Physics

Here’s why ducklings swim in a row behind mom

Baby ducks save energy by surfing their mother’s waves, but only if they do it in an orderly line.

Oceans

Scientists Say: Atoll

Atolls form when coral reefs build up around underwater volcanoes.

Physics

Future cars may offer personal sound zones — no earphones needed

Zones that offer each passenger personal listening are closer to reality. A new design improves performance by adapting to the conditions in your car.

Humans

Researchers role-played as Neandertals to learn how they hunted birds

By pretending to be Neandertals, researchers show that the ancient hominids likely had the skills to hunt crowlike birds called choughs.

Earth

What can ‘silent earthquakes’ teach us about the next Big One?

Earthquakes usually last seconds. But sometimes, they can last days, or even years. Here’s what scientists are learning about these “slow-slip events.”