s Adding 8 trillion tons of artificial snow to the West Antarctic Ice Sheet could stop from collapsing. Should we do it? By www.pbs.org Published On :: There are a heck of a lot of reasons not to. Full Article
s Mammals’ weird way of swallowing is at least 165 million years old By www.pbs.org Published On :: A new fossil find may help pinpoint the origins of mammals’ uber-flexible hyoid bone, which anchors the tongue and gives us our signature swallowing style. Full Article
s In a first, researchers have permanently magnetized a liquid By www.pbs.org Published On :: The new material could have applications in robotics and medicine. Full Article
s A year ago, toxic red tide took over Florida’s Gulf Coast. What would it take to stop it next time? By www.pbs.org Published On :: Killing red tide cells en masse can unleash their potent toxin. That means researchers need to get creative. Full Article
s Quivering bird eggs prep each other for predators before they hatch By www.pbs.org Published On :: Even while still in their eggs, baby birds can hear their parents’ alarm calls. They then pass the message along to unhatched siblings so the entire clutch emerges aware of the dangers ahead. Full Article
s In a smattering of ancient stars, scientists glimpse the Milky Way’s origins By www.pbs.org Published On :: A new analysis pinpoints some of the most ancient stars in our galaxy—and tells the story of the Milky Way’s ravenous past. Full Article
s In the race against climate change, many animals may not keep up By www.pbs.org Published On :: A sobering analysis suggests that animal species aren’t adapting fast enough to maintain their numbers in the face of rising temperatures. Full Article
s Scientists use radiation and bacteria to slash mosquito populations on two Chinese islands By www.pbs.org Published On :: Combining two insect-control techniques, researchers largely prevented reproduction in a mosquito species known to carry Zika, dengue, and yellow fever. Full Article
s Cool down with the slick science of sweat By www.pbs.org Published On :: Under extreme conditions, a human can produce more than three gallons of sweat in a single day. Full Article
s NOVA Nominated For Three Emmy Awards By www.pbs.org Published On :: PBS leads the list with 47 nominations. Full Article
s This robotic hand can partially restore a sense of touch By www.pbs.org Published On :: Researchers have built a prosthesis that enabled a man who lost his hand to text, pluck grapes from their stems, and stuff a pillow into its case. Full Article
s Chaser, the language-learning dog with a 1,000-word vocabulary, has died By www.pbs.org Published On :: The border collie achieved international fame for her remarkable grasp on vocabulary and sentence structure. Full Article
s This ‘Big Red Ball’ can simulate the Sun’s bizarre magnetic field By www.pbs.org Published On :: Physicists built a machine that might help explain how solar wind forms—all without leaving Earth’s atmosphere. Full Article
s Meet <i>Cambroraster falcatus</i>, the sediment-sifting ‘Roomba’ of the Cambrian By www.pbs.org Published On :: This crustacean-like critter stalked the seas half a billion years ago. Full Article
s A new trio of exoplanets could offer clues to how midsized planets form By www.pbs.org Published On :: The trifecta, discovered by NASA’s TESS, includes a “super-Earth” and two “sub-Neptunes” in a system called TOI-270. Full Article
s A new 3D map of the Milky Way flaunts our galaxy’s warped shape By www.pbs.org Published On :: Using data from an especially bright population of stars, astronomers have reconstructed the Milky Way’s peaks and valleys like never before. Full Article
s The little bicycle that could, thanks to artificial intelligence By www.pbs.org Published On :: An AI chip designed to mimic certain aspects of the human brain has given a bicycle an unprecedented level of autonomy. Full Article
s How kiwi plants’ Shy Girls and Friendly Boys helped them evolve separate sexes By www.pbs.org Published On :: These two genes are all it takes to determine the sex of a kiwifruit. Full Article
s Science As Told by Teens: Reflecting on the Pilot of NOVA Science Studio By www.pbs.org Published On :: With a goal to empower youth to tell stories about the world in new ways, NOVA Science Studio was able to give students exposure to a wide range of careers in STEM, journalism, and media production. Full Article
s There will be blood, and physics, too: The messy science of bloodstain pattern analysis By www.pbs.org Published On :: Researchers are using fluid dynamics to try to improve the study of crime scene blood spatter. Full Article
s Super-shy catsharks have a weird way of lighting up By www.pbs.org Published On :: Two kinds of glow-in-the-dark catsharks convert blue light to green, and now we know how. Full Article
s Iron from ancient supernovae may still be raining down on Earth By www.pbs.org Published On :: A rare iron isotope produced by exploding stars has been found in Antarctic snow. Full Article
s Cone-shaped meteorites are ‘just right’ for plummeting to Earth By www.pbs.org Published On :: Researchers eroding clay in water may have uncovered secrets of meteorites’ aerodynamic stability. Full Article
s Two new Ebola drugs dramatically boost survival in a clinical trial By www.pbs.org Published On :: Both treatments rely on infusing patients with antibodies that latch onto the virus and block it from invading cells. Full Article
s Jupiter’s ravenous past might help explain its diffuse, hazy core By www.pbs.org Published On :: A computer simulation suggests that a massive collision may have caused Jupiter’s core to shatter into a gassy, borderless cloud. Full Article
s Deep-Earth diamonds may contain gassy relics from the early solar system By www.pbs.org Published On :: Scientists studying diamonds from deep within Earth’s mantle found evidence of a reservoir of rocks and gas that may be nearly as old as the planet itself. Full Article
s A new form of carbon is born—on a bed of salt By www.pbs.org Published On :: The long-sought molecule could one day power high-energy electronics. Full Article
s Hurricanes give aggressive spiders a leg up on their docile kin By www.pbs.org Published On :: For Anelosimus studiosus spiders, the storm survival checklist apparently includes a combative personality. Full Article
s The weird and wonderful world growing spuds (and other crops) in space By www.pbs.org Published On :: With the right kind of care, plenty of plants actually do just fine in microgravity. Full Article
s In a first, astronomers may have detected a black hole swallowing a neutron star By www.pbs.org Published On :: The LIGO and Virgo observatories appear to have picked up gravitational waves from a first-of-its-kind astronomical observation. Full Article
s On Mars, microbes could hitch a ride on wind-borne dust By www.pbs.org Published On :: Experiments in Chile’s Atacama Desert point to a potential method of transportation for microbes on Mars—whether they exist there already, or we introduce them. Full Article
s Climate change could mean more mercury in seafood By www.pbs.org Published On :: The threat of mercury in seafood was curbed with regulations, but climate change could drive levels back up. Full Article
s Researchers use viral genomes to uncover a Zika outbreak in Cuba By www.pbs.org Published On :: The virus simmered quietly in Cuba for about a year before infecting thousands. Full Article
s Cheeseburgers give urban crows higher cholesterol—just like us By www.pbs.org Published On :: But it’s not clear whether elevated cholesterol is bad for birds. Full Article
s These albino lizards are the first gene-edited non-avian reptiles By www.pbs.org Published On :: Scientists injected CRISPR gene-editing machinery into unfertilized eggs still developing in female lizards’ ovaries. Full Article
s In 17,000-year-old puma poop, a glimpse of Ice Age parasites By www.pbs.org Published On :: The feces contain the oldest example of parasite DNA ever recorded. Full Article
s First Americans arrived at least 16,000 years ago, and probably by boat By www.pbs.org Published On :: Artifacts unearthed in Idaho challenge the idea that the first people to populate the Americas made the journey on foot around the end of the Ice Age. Full Article
s A microprocessor made of carbon nanotubes says, “Hello, World!” By www.pbs.org Published On :: The technology is still in its infancy, but could someday aid the development of faster, more energy-efficient electronics. Full Article
s Moonlight turns white barn owls into terrifying ‘ghosts’ By www.pbs.org Published On :: The feathery glint startles their rodent prey, making them easier to catch. Full Article
s Squirrels eavesdrop on bird chatter to tell when a threat has passed By www.pbs.org Published On :: These nosy rodents may not speak bird-ese, per se, but they can still use avian chatter as a safety cue. Full Article
s Hurricane Dorian crawls up the coast from Florida to Virginia By www.pbs.org Published On :: Some of the storm’s features hint at troubling trends in recent hurricanes. Full Article
s Fossil finger points to a surprising link between humans and Denisovans By www.pbs.org Published On :: New findings suggest Neanderthals evolved their unusually broad fingers after they split from Denisovans, just 400,000 years ago. Full Article
s How Kīlauea’s lava birthed an algal bloom visible from space By www.pbs.org Published On :: Lava descending into Hawai‘i’s ocean drove an upward surge of deep sea nutrients, cultivating life at the surface. Full Article
s Supercooling preserves donor livers for more than a day By www.pbs.org Published On :: The breakthrough could mean that fewer organs go to waste before they make it into a transplant recipient. Full Article
s Newly described species of electric eel serves up shocks of 860 volts By www.pbs.org Published On :: That earns this fish, Electrophorus voltai, the title of the strongest known living source of electricity. Full Article
s Intricate ‘toe maps’ exist in the brains of artists who paint with their feet By www.pbs.org Published On :: Two men born without arms showcase the brain’s extraordinary flexibility. Full Article
s Water vapor found on an ‘Earth-sized’ exoplanet 110 light-years from home By www.pbs.org Published On :: Scientists say the planet, called K2-18b, is “the best candidate for habitability” beyond our solar system. Full Article
s Popular pesticide throws off birds’ feeding and migration schedules By www.pbs.org Published On :: Delays during migration can imperil birds’ chances of a successful breeding season. Full Article
s Astronomers discover two giant, high-energy ‘bubbles’ at the center of the Milky Way By www.pbs.org Published On :: The gargantuan structures hint at a massive explosion in our galaxy’s past. Full Article
s Astronomers may have just detected the most massive neutron star yet By www.pbs.org Published On :: It’s almost too dense to exist. Almost. Full Article