How descendants of cannibals evolved abilities to share a home mostly without killing each other — never mind the rare oopsie snack — resonates after several pandemic years. Among the…
Author: ID
The top side of an elephant’s trunk stretches more than the bottom
On a sunny day at Zoo Atlanta in 2020, Kelly the African bush elephant reached for a snack and revealed something strange. High-speed cameras tracking her movements suggested that the…
Clouds in the Milky Way’s plasma bubbles came from the starry disk — and far beyond
Huge bubbles of plasma billowing out from the Milky Way’s center might contain scraps from all over the galaxy — and beyond. A new look at gas clouds in the…
Underground heat pollution could be tapped to mitigate climate change
The secret to efficiently heating some buildings might lurk beneath our feet, in the heat that humans have inadvertently stored underground. Just as cities warm the surrounding air, giving rise…
Here are experts’ answers to questions about COVID-19 vaccines for little kids
Four weeks ago, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signed off on COVID-19 vaccines for young children. Days later, doctors’ offices and clinics began rolling out shots for…
A fast radio burst’s rapid, steady beat offers a clue to its cosmic origin
An unusual blast of radio waves from deep space had a sense of rhythm. Over the few seconds in December 2019 when the burst was detected, it kept a steady…
Do gophers farm roots? It’s not as clear as viral articles claim
Pocket gophers certainly don’t qualify as card-carrying 4-H members, but the rodents might be farming roots in the open air of their moist, nutrient-rich tunnels. The gophers subsist mostly on…
Demond Mullins climbed Everest to inspire more Black outdoor enthusiasts
Demond “Dom” Mullins’ days as a student at Lehman College in New York were interrupted in 2004 when his National Guard unit was deployed to Baghdad. A year later, he…
In the battle of human vs. water, ‘Water Always Wins’
Water Always WinsErica Gies Univ. of Chicago, $26 Humans have long tried to wrangle water. We’ve straightened once-meandering rivers for shipping purposes. We’ve constructed levees along rivers and lakes to…
This octopus-inspired glove helps humans grip slippery objects
A new high-tech glove totally sucks — and that’s a good thing. Each fingertip is outfitted with a sucker inspired by those on octopus arms. These suckers allow people to…
