K. R. Callaway is an editorial intern at Scientific American. She specializes in science, health, history and policy.
A boom in gravitational waves leaves scientists with more questions than answers
A new data release more than doubles the number of gravitational-wave candidate events—and reveals unexpected complexities of merging black holes
The real reason there are no snakes in Ireland
It wasn’t Saint Patrick but a long history of chilly weather and geographic isolation that kept the Emerald Isle snake-free
Spaceflight supercharges viruses’ ability to infect bacteria
Viruses develop tricks to attack bacteria without the help of gravity
Scientists created a digital library full of ants
Using a synchrotron powered CT scanner, the Antscan project created an open-source digital library cataloguing thousands of 3D ant specimens
Ring the Fish Doorbell to help migrating fish navigate a Dutch canal
A Dutch lock is closed for the spring, and its employees want you to tell them when migrating fish come knocking by ringing a digital doorbell
Scientists gave the same sample to seven at-home microbiome tests. The results were dramatically different
The science and the regulations to underpin these tests “just aren’t there yet,” researchers say
Chimpanzee pee reveals how our primate cousins are getting drunk on fermented fruit
A urinalysis shows that these apes ingest significant amounts of alcohol, providing new clues to how alcohol influences the animals’ behavior
Newly discovered horned dinosaur was like a unicorn from hell
Spinosaurus mirabilis was a force to be reckoned with
Cats’ cancer genes show striking similarity to humans’
Researchers sequenced the genomes of tumors from almost 500 domestic cats and found remarkable parallels with human and dog cancers
Let these nine romantic animals inspire you on Valentine’s Day
These amorous creatures could put Casanova to shame—from beguiling dancing seahorses to peacocking spiders
Elephants’ peculiar whiskers help them sense the world around them
Pachyderm whiskers are more flexible at the tip than at the base, allowing elephants to complete delicate tasks with their incredibly strong trunk
Ancient seafarers helped shape Arctic ecosystems
Humans might have been sailing the sea between Greenland and Canada as long as it’s been unfrozen, archaeological evidence suggests
NASA’s next space suit for Artemis has out-of-this-world mobility
Astronauts are flying to the moon for the first time since 1972, and scientists are preparing specialized space suits for the next milestone—landing there
6 weird groundhog facts for Groundhog Day
Groundhogs don’t really forecast the weather, but there are plenty of other strange things about these rodents
Lost ancient Greek star catalog decoded by particle accelerator
Synchrotron radiation has revealed a star map made by the ancient astronomer Hipparchus that was thought to be lost to time
Back from the dead, a black hole is erupting after a 100-million-year hiatus
Radio images captured this “cosmic volcano” being reborn at the heart of the galaxy J1007+3540
This is the most complete skeleton yet of our ancestor Homo habilis
A partial skeleton dating back more than two million years is the most complete yet of Homo habilis, one of the earliest known species in our genus
Parents might age faster or slower based on how many kids they have
A new study found that women in Finland who had a lot of kids—or none—aged faster than those with one or a few kids. But the findings don’t necessarily translate to today’s parents
Scientists just calculated how many microplastics are in our atmosphere. The number is absolutely shocking
A new estimate suggests land sources eject 600 quadrillion pieces of microplastic into the atmosphere every year
Oldest cave art ever found discovered in Indonesia
Beating the previous record for the oldest known cave artwork by at least 15,000 years, a hand stencil in an Indonesian cave might shed light on when early humans migrated to Australia
This Mushroom’s Incredibly Bitter Taste Is New to Science
The first analysis of mushroom bitterness reveals ultrapotent compounds
Knitting’s Complex Shapes Explained in New Physics Model
A new mathematical model helps to advance the centuries-old art of knitting
Pristine Ancient Forest Found Frozen in Time in Rocky Mountains
A melting ice patch in the Rocky Mountains uncovered an ancient forest, and these trees have stories to tell about dynamic landscapes and climate change