Pterosaurs may have been able to fly as soon as they hatched
Pterosaur hatchlings may have been able to fly right out of the shell — although the flight of those ancient baby reptiles might have...
SCIENTIFIC NEWS
The coronavirus cuts cells’ hairlike cilia, which may help it invade the lungs
A coronavirus infection can mow down the forests of hairlike cilia that coat our airways, destroying a crucial barrier to keeping the virus from...
NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover has begun its first science campaign
NASA’s Perseverance rover on Mars has seen its future, and it’s full of rocks. Lots and lots of rocks. After spending the summer trundling...
How intricate Venus’s-flower-baskets manipulate the flow of seawater
A Venus’s-flower-basket isn’t all show. This stunning deep-sea sponge can also alter the flow of seawater in surprising ways. A lacy, barrel-shaped chamber forms...
A century of astronomy revealed Earth’s place in the universe
A century ago, the Milky Way galaxy was the entirety of the known universe. We had no idea what made the stars shine, and...
This butterfly is the first U.S. insect known to go extinct because of people
It’s been roughly 80 years since the Xerces blue butterfly was last spotted flitting about on pastel wings across coastal California sand dunes. But...
Missing Antarctic microbes raise thorny questions about the search for aliens
Even in the harshest environments, microbes always seem to get by. They thrive everywhere from boiling-hot seafloor hydrothermal vents to high on Mt. Everest....
Pikas survive winter using a slower metabolism and, at times, yak poop
Winter on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is unfriendly to pikas. Temperatures across the barren, windy highlands routinely dip below –30° Celsius, and the grass that...
The latest picture of a black hole captures Centaurus A’s massive jets
The Event Horizon Telescope is expanding its portfolio of black hole images. In 2019, the telescope unveiled the first image of a black hole,...
Climate change may be leading to overcounts of endangered bonobos
Climate change is interfering with how researchers count bonobos, possibly leading to gross overestimates of the endangered apes, a new study suggests. Like other...
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