Space & Physics
The 10 Weirdest Things in the Solar System
Pierogi moons, rubber duckie comets and spewing ice balls: We have some very strange neighbors among the myriad planets, moons and objects that circle our sun.
Stories by Lydia Chain
Biotech
Tracing a Gaze to Understand Language Delays
Researchers use eye-tracking software to peek inside a child's mind when words fail, reading eye patterns to understand language production and combat conditions such as specific language impairment...
Biology
Parrot "Giggles" Trigger Play
Kea parrots have a special call that makes nearby parrots burst into play.
The Sciences
How to Calculate a Bigger Slice of Pi
For thousands of years people have struggled to pin down pi. Watch how mathematicians from Archimedes on have wrapped their heads around the math of circles.
Neuroscience
This Itch Is Infectious
Many social animals start to feel itchy after watching one of their fellows scratch, and scientists now have a better understanding of why an itch can spread through a group.
Computing
This Beat-Bot's Got Groove!
Could the drummer robot lead its cyber brethren to march in sync—or maybe someday even start a band?
Why a Cat's Tongue Is Like No Other [Video]
It's embedded with tiny, spiky structures that let the animal both comb its fur and lap up water
Space & Physics
A Tasty Trove of Exoplanets at TRAPPIST-1
A baker’s half-dozen of Earth-size worlds is orbiting a (relatively) nearby star—and some could be habitable
Space & Physics
Planet Formation out of Black Hole Belches
New studies suggest lonely planets flying through intergalactic space were formed by star-destroying supermassive black holes.
Evolution
Jumping Spiders See with Rose-Colored Glasses
Human suitors may woo with red wine and roses, but these jumping spiders come courting with fancy dress and choreography. Now scientists know more about how spiders perceive their admirers' flamboyant displays...
Space & Physics
Earth-Size Telescope Will Make Black Holes Say "Cheese!"
Nobel laureate Robert Wilson discusses how a network of telescopes might illumine a black hole, after the 92nd Street Y’s Bang! Bang! event.
Biotech
This Bra Offers Emergency Support
Ig Nobel Prize creator Marc Abrahams shows off this unusual disaster-preparedness device before a night discussing humor and science at the 92nd Street Y.
Space & Physics
Soft, Sticky Frog Tongues Slurp Supper
Scientists discovered a frog’s ability to nab an insect in a fraction of a second depends on the fluid mechanics of its spit.
The Universe in a Cup of Coffee
You think it's just a beverage, but it's a whole lot more
Space & Physics
Is It Time to Give Up on Dark Matter?
There is still good reason to think undiscovered fundamental particles act as gravitational glue for galaxies.
Aerospace
How the Military Surveils Santa
In a Christmas tradition, the defense organization NORAD helps us keep track of Santa as he zips around the world delivering toys.
Global Warming? Ha! What about Global Cooling? [Video]
This myth has been debunked many times—but rarely in such a fun way
Space & Physics
The Year in Planetary Science
Take a light-speed trip through the solar system to catch up on 2016’s biggest stories from our celestial neighborhood. Produced with support from Explore Scientific
The Sciences
The Math behind the Polls
When polls try to tease out what a group of people is thinking, what are they measuring and how can they go wrong?
Behavior
Eavesdrop on Ultrasonic Rat Giggles
Scientists used special microphones to let us listen in on a tickled rat’s titters.
