Katharine Sanderson is a freelance journalist based in Cornwall, UK.
Most Plastic in the Ocean Is Invisible—And Deadly
Nanoplastics—particles smaller than a human hair—can pass through cell walls and enter the food web. New research suggests 27 million metric tons of nanoplastics are spread across just the top layer of the North Atlantic
Did Dusty Skies Doom the Dinosaurs?
Fine particles kicked up by the Chicxulub asteroid impact could have blocked out the sun for years, resulting in global cooling and disastrous consequences for ecosystems
This Insect-Sized Robot Can Carry 22 Times Its Own Weight
The four-legged miniature machine is powered by tiny explosions
Soft ‘Electronic Skin’ Mimics Our Sense of Touch
A flexible, conductive membrane that can pass sensory information to the brain and muscles is a step towards artificial skin
Could Grinding Up Lithium Batteries Help Recycle Them?
Researchers recovered lithium from batteries on a small scale by using mechanical force
Nord Stream Pipeline Blasts Stirred Up Toxic Sediment
The Nord Stream pipeline explosions happened in a dumping ground for chemical warfare, but other contaminants proved most toxic to marine life
What the Silicon Valley Bank Collapse Means for Science Start-ups
Bailouts mean customers’ deposits are safe, but the Silicon Valley Bank’s demise has sparked concern about future investment in small tech companies
How to Construct Buildings That Have a Positive Impact on Climate and Biodiversity
Making buildings part of a circular economy that minimizes the waste of materials could yield huge environmental rewards
How Will Men’s World Cup Soccer Players Cope with Qatar Heat?
The question of how to preserve athletic performance amid extreme heat, including at the World Cup in Qatar, is pressing as climate change bites
What Do Mysterious Nord Stream Methane Leaks Mean for Climate Change?
Researchers are rushing to calculate the greenhouse-gas emissions resulting from mysterious leaks in major gas pipelines that connect Russia to Europe
What’s the Science of Public Grief?
Most of the people mourning the death of Queen Elizabeth II were not close to her—research can shed light on the nature of their grief
High-Profile Autism Genetics Project Paused Amid Backlash
Study aimed at collecting DNA from 10,000 autistic people and their families has drawn criticism for failing to consult the autism community
Why Sports Concussions Are Worse For Women
As women’s soccer, rugby and other sports gain popularity, scientists are racing to understand how the female brain responds to head injury
Machine Stitches Complex Molecules at Touch of a Button
Automated clipping together of modular building blocks shows promise for the discovery of new drugs
Photons Double Up to Help Us See Beyond the Visible Light Spectrum
Our little-known ability to see infrared light could occur when pairs of photons combine their energies to appear as one "visible" photon
Explosive Power of Combustion Makes Floppy Little Silicone Robot Jump
A simple chemical reaction is used to power a robot's lofty leaps. Applications could be search-and-rescue operations
Diamond-Based Quantum Devices Shrink MRI to Nanoscale
The technique could be sensitive enough to detect the structure of a single protein
Bloggers Put Chemical Reactions through the Replication Mill
An online project seeks crowd-sourced help to reproduce chemists' published results
Sprinkled Nanocubes Could Hold Light Tight for Efficient Solar Panels
A device based on scattered silver cubes could scale up light absorption for solar power
How to Boil Water without Bubbles
A coating has been found to help hot metal hang onto a protective vapor layer that prevents explosive boiling
Super-Stretchy Hydrogel Can Take a Hit
A polymer network made of alginate and polyacrylamide is the most resilient yet and could be used in replacement cartilage or scaffolding for artificial organs
Flexible Plastic Electronic Display Company Exits E-Reader Market
Plastic Logic will try to sell its relatively expensive technology to other companies that might want to use it in their own products
New Target Discovered for Pain Relief
A neuropathic pain expert says, however, that in the past 30 years virtually no new drug targets have made it into the clinic as effective pain-relief drugs