The Top 10 scientific surprises of Science News’ first 100 years
From the day Archimedes cut his bath short to shout “Eureka,” science has been a constant source of surprises. Even after the abundant accumulation...
SCIENTIFIC NEWS
Satellite swarms may outshine the night sky’s natural constellations
Fleets of private satellites orbiting Earth will be visible to the naked eye in the next few years, sometimes all night long. Companies like...
By taking on poliovirus, Marguerite Vogt transformed the study of all viruses
When nobody else wanted the job, Marguerite Vogt stepped in. Working from early morning until late at night in a small, isolated basement laboratory...
Stone Age people used bone scrapers to make leather and pelts
Discoveries in a Moroccan cave have provided a rare look at how Stone Age people may have turned animal skins into clothing. Bone tools,...
Fossil tracks may reveal an ancient elephant nursery
Fossilized footprints found on a beach in southern Spain betray what may have been a nursery for an extinct species of elephant. The track-rich...
Some birds learn to recognize calls while still in their eggs
Over a decade ago, behavioral ecologist Diane Colombelli-Négrel was wiring superb fairy wrens’ nests to record the birds’ sounds when she noticed something odd....
Australian fires in 2019–2020 had even more global reach than previously thought
The severe, devastating wildfires that raged across southeastern Australia in late 2019 and early 2020 packed a powerful punch that extended far beyond the...
Fossils and ancient DNA paint a vibrant picture of human origins
In The Descent of Man, published in 1871, Charles Darwin hypothesized that our ancestors came from Africa. He pointed out that among all animals,...
Potty-trained cattle could help reduce pollution
You can lead a cow to a water closet, but can you make it pee there? It turns out that yes, you can. Researchers...
Mary Roach’s new book ‘Fuzz’ explores the ‘criminal’ lives of animals
Fuzz Mary RoachW.W. Norton & Co., $26.95 Around the world, criminals run free in the forest. These villains can’t be arrested — because they’re...
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