New data show how quickly light pollution is obscuring the night sky
The night sky has been brightening faster than researchers realized, thanks to the use of artificial lights at night. A study of more than 50,000 observations of stars by citizen…
Too much of this bacteria in the nose may worsen allergy symptoms
A type of bacteria that’s overabundant in the nasal passages of people with hay fever may worsen symptoms. Targeting that bacteria may provide a way to rein in ever-running noses.…
Want a ‘Shrinky Dinks’ approach to nano-sized devices? Try hydrogels
High-tech shrink art may be the key to making tiny electronics, 3-D nanostructures or even holograms for hiding secret messages. A new approach to making tiny structures relies on shrinking…
How Space Radiation Threatens Lunar Exploration
Scientists are studying the possible impacts of the hazard on astronauts who will travel to the moon
Scientists have found the first known microbes that can eat only viruses
New Year, new viral diet — literally. Tiny, pond-dwelling Halteria ciliates are virovores, able to survive on a virus-only diet, researchers report December 27 in Proceedings of the National Academy…
These adorable Australian spike-balls beat the heat with snot bubbles
Animals cover themselves in all kinds of unsavory fluids to keep cool. Humans sweat, kangaroos spit and some birds will urinate on themselves to survive hot days. It turns out…
These chemists cracked the code to long-lasting Roman concrete
MIT chemist Admir Masic really hoped his experiment wouldn’t explode. Masic and his colleagues were trying to re-create an ancient Roman technique for making concrete, a mix of cement, gravel,…
Busted and Broken Fossils Show How Dinosaurs Fought
From locking horns to biting each other in the face, this is how dinos of the same species battled
Cyclones in the Arctic are becoming more intense and frequent
CHICAGO – In January 2022, a cyclone blitzed a large expanse of ice-covered ocean between Greenland and Russia. Frenzied gusts galvanized 8-meter-tall waves that pounded the region’s hapless flotillas of…
A powerful laser can redirect lightning strikes
Like a high-tech hammer of Thor, a powerful laser can grab hold of a lightning bolt and reroute its path through the sky. In a mountaintop experiment, such a laser…