Stories by Eliene Augenbraun

Some dog population genetics show similarities to ours, such as in the ability to digest grains. But other lineages differ.  

Inbreeding in Thoroughbreds has increased significantly in the past 45 years, with the greatest rise occurring in the past 15 or so of them.

Whiskeys claimed to be from the 19th century are revealed to be made with much more recently grown barley, thanks to the unique isotopic fingerprint of the nuclear-testing era.  

By comparing how DNA gets altered over the lifetimes of people and dogs, researchers came up with a new way to compare canine years with human years.

The white bellbird of the Amazon may be the loudest bird in the world.  

A study done in South America found that with increasing population density, humans had more diversity of fungi on the skin but less microbial diversity in the gut.

Ground-penetrating radar can detect tiny density differences that lead to images of ancient footprints impossible to discern by eye.

Microplastic particles are everywhere, but in freshwater systems, 60 percent of particles are clothing lint from laundry.

And the winner is … a tale about a parallel universe-hopping psychopath

The Quantum Shorts film festival wants to know, and the deadline for submissions is coming up on December 1

They want you to be excited, too, so they produce their own music videos—the latest inspired by Flo Rida’s "My House"

What Jupiter’s spot is not, is tranquil. New infrared images taken by Boston University scientists on a NASA telescope in Hawaii show that whereas Jupiter’s north and south poles are heated by strong magnetic fields, its large, stormy red spot generates its own heat by a different mechanism. Shock waves from turbulent winds in the spot and other storms help explain how the planet's upper atmosphere stays warm so far from the sun.

Produced with support from Explore Scientific

If you're a moth, better check twice to be sure that's really the sky you're looking at

You'll never think about those warm summer evenings the same way again

The Golden State's native winter ants have stopped the seemingly inexorable march of their tiny foreign rivals

Not a high bar, admittedly, but they're still pretty amazing creatures...or...whatever

The bombardier beetle's built-in chemistry lab makes for a formidable weapon

For a mission that had a near-death experience in 2013, the Kepler spacecraft continues to do some pretty amazing science

Because sometimes a computer model simply doesn't show the richness of structure in the microbiological universe

Amanita phalloides, aka the death cap, is spreading in California

Believe it or not, you might end up rooting for the scorpion

Scientists know how important their work is to America, and a science advocacy group thinks politicians should know it too

This video will make you wonder if a year in free-fall finally got to him...

This is not a trick question