Stories by Meghan Bartels

Malaria grabs headlines, but U.S. residents are more likely to encounter West Nile virus and other mosquito-borne illnesses

An international team of scientists says nematodes found in Siberian permafrost are 46,000 years old and survived using techniques similar to those of a modern lab favorite

Revisiting the precious lunar samples on Earth suggests that some areas of the moon’s surface might be older than scientists once thought

Before leading the Manhattan Project, J. Robert Oppenheimer co-authored a paper explaining that the most massive stars must eventually become what we would now call a black hole

A trio of solar flares from a departing sunspot include one major flare that lasted several hours

Researchers across Europe have found bizarre nests bristling with the sharp metal stakes cities use to repel birds

Just seeing nature in VR brings some health benefits—and helps scientists learn why we need the real thing

“If, by some chance, there’s another being out there that might connect to it, I wanted them to know that regardless of how it may seem sometimes, we love this Earth,” says poet Ada Limón about her poem

When sleep feels elusive, getting out of bed can calm your mind and help you avoid bad sleep habits

Scientists are beginning to understand what kind of thunderstorm produces so-called megaflashes of lightning that stretch more than 60 miles

President Joe Biden has been using a CPAP machine to treat his sleep apnea, according to White House officials. What does that mean?

Astrophysicists are tuning in to a never-before-seen type of gravitational wave spawned by pairs of supermassive black holes

Professional and amateur astronomers alike are hoping that Comet C/2023 A3 will sparkle in Earth’s skies in the fall of 2024, although comets are notoriously difficult to predict

Astrophysicist Farhad Yusef-Zadeh has spent decades peering into the center of the Milky Way galaxy, discovering hundreds of enigmatic filaments in the process

The tourist submersible Titan imploded while diving to visit the wreckage of the Titanic, which sank in 1912

Scientists have used quantum technology to track individual particles of light as they begin the process of photosynthesis

To better understand early pregnancy loss without using actual human embryos, scientists employed stem cells to create models that mimic this stage of development

Most of the eastern U.S. has been swathed in smoke billowing off more than 400 wildfires across Canada

Where is it coming from? How long will it last? What's in the smoke? Whose health is at risk? How do you clean your own air?

For lung cancer patients who have a specific genetic mutation, taking a pill called osimertinib after surgery greatly reduced the risk of lung cancer recurrence

Smoke from record-setting wildfires in Canada has blanketed parts of the eastern U.S., but shifting summer weather patterns should bring relief

The combination of a massive seaweed bloom, plastic in the ocean and climate change is increasing the risk of dangerous infections

Scientists are using satellite observations of a massive volcanic eruption’s impact to better understand Earth’s atmosphere

The weight of New York City’s 1.1 million buildings is making the city slowly sink