X-ray scans explain how the ‘Brazil nut effect’ works
A new experiment reveals, in a nutshell, why the largest particles in some mixtures tend to gather at the top. This phenomenon is known...
SCIENTIFIC NEWS
Fast radio bursts could help solve the mystery of the universe’s expansion
Astronomers have been arguing about the rate of the universe’s expansion for nearly a century. A new independent method to measure that rate could...
A new technique could make some plastic trash compostable at home
A pinch of polymer-munching enzymes could make biodegradable plastic packaging and forks truly compostable. With moderate heat, enzyme-laced films of the plastic disintegrated in...
The already tiny neutrino’s maximum possible mass has shrunk even further
To understand neutrinos, it pays to be small-minded. The subatomic particles are so lightweight, they’re almost massless. They’re a tiny fraction of the mass...
Neutron stars may not be as squishy as some scientists thought
Like a dried-up lemon from the back of the fridge, neutron stars are less squeezable than expected, physicists report. New measurements of the most...
Videocalling needed more than a pandemic to finally take off. Will it last?
Eileen Donovan, an 89-year-old mother of seven living in a Boston suburb, loved watching her daughter teach class on Zoom during the coronavirus pandemic....
50 years ago, scientists claimed marijuana threatened teens’ mental health
The continuing battle over pot — Science News, April 24,1971 The White House Conference on Youth voted to legalize the sale of grass (with...
Here’s what we know about B.1.1.7, the U.S.’s dominant coronavirus strain
In December 2020, health officials in the United Kingdom announced that a new coronavirus variant was rapidly spreading across the region. Weeks later, U.S....
NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter made history by flying on Mars
Editor’s note: This story will be updated periodically. A helicopter just flew on Mars. NASA’s Ingenuity hovered for about 40 seconds above the Red...
How the laws of physics constrain the size of alien raindrops
Whether they’re made of methane on Saturn’s moon Titan or iron on the exoplanet WASP 78b, alien raindrops behave similarly across the Milky Way....
A new treatment could restore some mobility in people paralyzed by strokes 
What has Perseverance found in two years on Mars? 
This robot automatically tucks its limbs to squeeze through spaces 
Greta Thunberg’s new book urges the world to take climate action now