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Exoplanets are still out there -- a new model tells astronomers where to look...
A starchart by Alexander Jamieson from 1822 showing the constellation Cetus, the Sea Monster. Cetus is located in the region of the sky known as the Water, along with other watery constellations such...
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Conservatives value personal stories more than liberals do when evaluating...
When science and anecdote share a podium, you must decide how to value each.Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty ImagesThe Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.The big ideaConservatives...
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Flaws emerge in modeling human genetic diseases in animals
This confocal microscope image shows the face of a week-old zebrafish.Peter Fabian and Gage Crump, CC BY-NCMy lab, based at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, uses zebrafish...
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Why we didn't get a vaccine by Election Day – but why we may get one soon
Pfizer stock surged higher on Nov. 9 after the company announced its vaccine is "90% effective" against COVID-19 infections. KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty ImagesA COVID-19 vaccine was not ready before...
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Oil field operations likely triggered earthquakes in California a few miles...
Activity in the San Ardo oil field near Salinas, California, has been linked to earthquakes.Eugene Zelenko/Wikimedia, CC BYThe way companies drill for oil and gas and dispose of wastewater can trigger...
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Smart concrete could pave the way for high-tech, cost-effective roads
The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco averages more than 100,000 vehicles daily.Photo by Saketh Garuda for UnsplashEvery day, Americans travel on roads, bridges and highways without considering the...
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When scientific journals take sides during an election, the public's trust in...
People lose faith in science when it takes a political side.AP Photo/Wong Maye-EThe Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.The big ideaWhen the scientific establishment gets...
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An AI tool can distinguish between a conspiracy theory and a true conspiracy...
In the age of social media, conspiracy theories are collective creations.AP Photo/Ted S. WarrenThe audio on the otherwise shaky body camera footage is unusually clear. As police officers search a...
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President-elect Biden's new COVID-19 task force gives the US a fresh chance...
Biden and Harris meet with their COVID-19 advisers virtually on Nov. 9.AP Photo/Carolyn KasterA change in administration in January will bring a new pandemic strategy for the United States....
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200 years ago, people discovered Antarctica – and promptly began profiting by...
Workmen dissecting a whale carcass in Antarctica, circa 1935Hulton Archive via Getty ImagesTwo hundred years ago, on November 17, Connecticut ship captain Nathaniel Palmer spotted the Antarctic...
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A new data-driven model shows that wearing masks saves lives – and the...
The computer model simulates how many COVID-19 cases could have been prevented in a particular county in the U.S.Leontura/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty ImagesDr. Biplav Srivastava, professor of...
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How do geese know how to fly south for the winter?
Geese fly day or night, depending on when conditions are best.sharply_done/E+ via Getty ImagesCurious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer,...
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What monoclonal antibodies are – and why we need them as well as a vaccine
Y-shaped proteins called antibodies are vital for attacking and destroying the virus.Dr_Microbe/Getty ImagesWhen President Trump was diagnosed with COVID-19, one of the cutting-edge experimental...
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American timber industry crippled by double whammy of trade war and COVID-19
Douglas fir, a valuable commercial timber, dominates the Oregon coastal forest.Photo by Eric Muhr on Unsplash, CC BY-NDThe forestry sector – landowners, logging companies and sawmills – have lost an...
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Virus evolution could undermine a COVID-19 vaccine – but this can be stopped
Could SARS-CoV-2 evolve to dodge the vaccine?Jose A. Bernat Bacete/Moment collection/Getty ImagesThe first drug against HIV brought dying patients back from the brink. But as excited doctors raced to...
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How mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna work, why they're a breakthrough...
Moderna's new mRNA vaccine is almost 94.5% effective in large-scale trials.JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty ImagesAs the weather cools, the number of infections of the COVID-19 pandemic are rising sharply....
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Curved origami offers a creative route to making robots and other mechanical...
These beautiful curves hold the key to a simple way to vary the stiffness of robotic grippers.njekaterina/DigitalVision via Getty ImagesThe Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic...
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What's cellular about a cellphone?
Editor’s note: Daniel Bliss is a professor of electrical engineering at Arizona State University and the director of the Center for Wireless Information Systems and Computational Architecture. In this...
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COVID-19 vaccines were developed in record time – but are these game-changers...
The pandemic rages as the world waits for COVID-19 vaccines.Peter Zelei Images/Getty ImagesThere are now two COVID-19 vaccines that, at least according to preliminary reports, appear to be 94.5% and...
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Why do tigers have stripes?
Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com.Why do tigers have stripes? – Vidit M., age 8, New...
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