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Early humans used fire to permanently change the landscape tens of thousands...
Today the shoreline of Lake Malawi is open, not forested the way it was before ancient humans started modifying the landscape.Jessica Thompson, CC BY-NDFields of rust-colored soil, spindly cassava,...
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Wildfires are contaminating drinking water systems, and it's more widespread...
Fire in one part of a community can contaminate the water system used by other residents, as Santa Rosa, California, discovered after the Tubbs Fire.Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesMore than 58,000 fires...
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Nocturnal dinosaurs: Night vision and superb hearing in a small theropod...
Fossils of _Shuvuuia deserti_ depict a small predatory creature with exceptional night vision and hearing.Mick Ellison/American Natural History Museum, CC BY-NDToday, barn owls, bats, leopards and many...
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Space tourism is here – 20 years after the first stellar tourist, Jeff Bezos'...
Astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson on the International Space Station with a view many more are likely to see soon. NASA/Tracy Caldwell Dyson/WIkimediaCommonsFor most people, getting to the stars is...
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Popping toys, the latest fidget craze, might reduce stress for adults and...
Popping toys like this one can relieve stress and anxiety and are just plain fun.Inna Reznik/Shutterstock.comThe newest fidget craze is popping toys. Adults and kids all over the world have been buying...
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A metropolis arose in medieval Cambodia – new research shows how many people...
A visualization of daily life around Angkor Wat in the late 12th century. Tom Chandler, Mike Yeates, Chandara Ung and Brent McKee, Monash University, 2021, CC BY-NC-NDHow big were the world’s ancient...
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DNA 'Lite-Brite' is a promising way to archive data for decades or longer
A simple two-dimensional grid can convey a lot of information – whether making pictures with Lite-Brite or storing data in DNA.Justin Day/Flickr, CC BY-SAThe Research Brief is a short take about...
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The Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack and the SolarWinds hack were all but...
Military units like the 780th Military Intelligence Brigade shown here are just one component of U.S. national cyber defense.Fort George G. Meade Public Affairs Office/FlickrTakeaways:· There are no...
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Pregnant women's brains show troubling signs of stress – but feeling strong...
Just feeling that there's someone out there she can count on can help a mom-to-be.d3sign/Moment via Getty ImagesEven before the pandemic, there was plenty for expectant mothers to worry about. Pregnant...
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Teeth of fallen soldiers hold evidence that foreigners fought alongside...
The ruins of the Temple of Victory in Himera, which was constructed to commemorate the first battle in 480 B.C.Katherine Reinberger, CC BY-NDAncient historians loved to write about warfare and famous...
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Here’s how much your personal information is worth to cybercriminals – and...
The black market for stolen personal information motivates most data breaches.aleksey-martynyuk/iStock via Getty ImagesData breaches have become common, and billions of records are stolen worldwide...
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Scientists at work: Helping endangered sea turtles, one emergency surgery at...
Kemp's ridley sea turtles are an endangered species that live and nest in the Gulf of Mexico.National Park Service/WikimediaCommons“Help! I’m fishing and just caught a huge sea turtle. She’s completely...
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Microfluidics: The tiny, beautiful tech hidden all around you
Anything that moves or processes tiny amounts of fluid is a microfluidic device. Chris Neils/Albert Folch, CC BY-NDWhen you think of micro- or nanotechnology, you likely think of small electronics like...
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How much energy can people create at one time without losing control?
Fire a set of high-power lasers at a tiny speck of hydrogen isotopes and you can initiate nuclear fusion, the process that powers the Sun.National Ignition FacilityCurious Kids is a series for children...
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If a satellite falls on your house, space law protects you – but there are no...
It's unlikely falling space junk will destroy property or kill a person. Petrovich9/iStock via Getty ImagesOn May 8, 2021, a piece of space junk from a Chinese rocket fell uncontrolled back to Earth...
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Antarctica is headed for a climate tipping point by 2060, with catastrophic...
The big wildcard for sea level rise is Antarctica.James Eades/UnsplashWhile U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken draws attention to climate change in the Arctic at meetings with other national...
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The truth about tooth decay
The health of your teeth has a major effect on your body.Rudy Fargo/Unsplash, CC BYTo “cry poor mouth” is an expression used to habitually complain about a lack of money. A literal poor mouth, however,...
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Engineers and economists prize efficiency, but nature favors resilience –...
The power grid in Texas provides a stark lesson in the balance between efficiency and resilience.AP Photo/David J. PhillipTakeaways:The damage from Winter Storm Uri, the economic devastation from the...
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Pregnancy during COVID-19 lockdown: How the pandemic has affected new mothers
Isolation and other pandemic stresses can harm pregnant women's mental health, with effects on their babies too.Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty ImagesFor the millions of women who...
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Shape-shifting computer chip thwarts an army of hackers
The Morpheus secure processor works like a puzzle that keeps changing before hackers have a chance to solve it.Alan de la Cruz via UnsplashThe Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic...
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