Instead of civil war, a naked mole rat colony changed queens peacefully
These matriarchal rodents often have bloody succession wars to replace their queen. But in a colony in California, Queen Tere ceded the throne to her
Category: Science
Humidity makes these bees turn green
North American sweat bees change color depending on the surrounding humidity. It might be a more widespread phenomenon among insects.
‘Beyond Inheritance’ offers a new view on mutations
In her debut book, science writer Roxanne Khamsi offers a new view of mutations that’s not limited to birth and death.
A Fresh Look at the Crab Nebula
This image that NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope captured of the Crab Nebula, paired with its past observations and those of other telescopes, allows astronomers to
NASA shuts off another Voyager 1 instrument as humanity’s most distant spacecraft prepares for risky ‘Big Bang’ maneuver to save power
After nearly 50 years in space, the two Voyager spacecraft are very low on nuclear power. Voyager 1 just shut off another instrument to save
‘We’re the best servants anyone could dream of!’: AI superintelligence has no need to enslave humans because we’re already bowing to it
A future AI would have no need to rid the world of humanity because we’re incredibly useful. But if it did want to shrug us
New blood test aims to spot liver scarring before it paves the way to cancer
Liver scarring can pave the way to cancer down the line. A new blood test in development might help doctors spot it.
Got pesky, invasive corals? Blast ‘em away with air guns
Compressed air bids bye-bye to invasive sun corals in Brazil. The blasts obliterated soft tissue and fragments couldn’t regenerate.
The Proof in the Code traces efforts to digitally verify mathematical truths
Journalist Kevin Hartnett chronicles how code-checking tools and AI are being used to tackle difficult math problems.
Florida is facing its most intense drought in 15 years. Here’s how it got so bad and how long it will last.
More than 70% of the state is under “extreme” to “exceptional” drought conditions, and other parts of the U.S. Southeast are similarly affected. But why
Neanderthal toddlers grew faster than modern humans, probably because of the harsh environment they evolved in
A new study of a Neanderthal toddler reveals that our closest evolutionary relatives’ growth patterns differed from those of modern humans.
‘Nations need to prepare now’: Key Atlantic ocean current is much closer to collapse than scientists thought
An alarming study claims the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation is weakening more than believed previously. But experts say its findings are far from the final
Animal activists celebrate their first global ‘Sanctuary Day’
It’s been 40 years since animal advocates founded a sanctuary for farm animals in New York and California, and they say April 17 is their
Glowing ring of plankton surrounding New Zealand islands linked to deadly underwater plateau — Earth from space
A recent satellite photo captured a gleaming halo of phytoplankton encircling the remote Chatham Islands. The stunning sight is the result of a hidden underwater