Science
Scientific discoveries and research
Unmowed strips attract insects, but many abandon partially mowed dikes
Municipalities are increasingly mowing dikes and verges in stages, so that insects can make longer use of the plants growing there. Mowing is essential to keep...
A novel path to fusion ignition: Heat first, then add fuel
For more than 70 years, fusion energy researchers have used a particular equation to judge whether a plasma would stay hot and dense enough—for long enough—to r...
Sniffer dogs, bloodstain patterns and ballistics evidence under the microscope in new studies
CSI may have spawned innumerable spinoffs, but it turns out you can't trust TV—or sniffer dogs. New research is questioning the scientific basis for the dogs' u...
Russia is using Ukraine's children to win its occupation—and the wider war
A year or so after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the city of Murmansk in Russia's Arctic northwest marked its annual regional day with a celebration for c...
Local tipping points in dune landscapes: How does a dune system organize itself?
Building with nature is an important concept in our coastal defense. After all, by harnessing natural processes, we are more resilient to sea level rise. A good...
New saber-toothed predator from Argentina suggests its lineage survived longer than believed
In 2014, members of a local museum found fragments of an ancient fossil dating to the end of the Pliocene or early Pleistocene epoch in a seaside cliff on the A...
How changing recipients of golden roses reflect centuries of evolving papal influence
Almost every ceremonial object or ornament of the medieval papal monarchy has disappeared or lost its original purpose. Yet one survives: the golden rose. On Se...
Tracking uncovers $80 million spent on AI political ads, most without disclosure
The 2026 U.S. midterm campaigns are the first in which AI-generated political ads are regularly appearing on people's televisions and social media feeds. We are...
Sharks' inner ears reveal surprising diversity that may reflect evolution more than environment
A new study of shark anatomy suggests the shape of their inner ears is far more variable than expected, and this variation could have more to do with their evol...
Whether it's banning books or preventing artists from touring, silencing often backfires
If the goal was to silence rapper Macklemore by preventing him from touring with singer Ed Sheeran, it clearly backfired. Macklemore delivered a monolog in supp...
Why Great Plains rivers depend on wetlands as well as climate
When a prairie river carries more water in one year than another, the obvious place to look for an explanation is the sky. A year with more snow and rain should...
Pollen study reveals the hidden history of grasses
Scientists used machine learning and super-resolution microscopy to overcome a challenge that has stymied research into the natural history of grasses for decad...