How Honeybees Brush Their Eye Hairs
Flitting among the flowers can be messy, sticky work.
Stories by Lydia Chain
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.
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.
Parrot "Giggles" Trigger Play
Kea parrots have a special call that makes nearby parrots burst into play.
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.
Bug Eyes Let Robber Flies Hunt with Killer Focus
Adapted lenses allow the tiny robber fly to see like a much larger predator, helping it carry out sophisticated aerial attacks.
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.
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]](https://static.scientificamerican.com/blogs/cache/file/767C3757-7430-4A18-AA760CBFC62D30F9_agenda.jpg?w=275&h=154&fit=crop)
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
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
Planet Formation out of Black Hole Belches
New studies suggest lonely planets flying through intergalactic space were formed by star-destroying supermassive black holes.
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.
Is Physics Funnier Than Biology?
The Big Bang Theory writer and executive producer has a hypothesis why physics makes the funniest TV.
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.
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.
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
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.
How Your GPS Uses Einstein's Relativity
Time flows slightly faster on the Global Positioning System satellites than it does on the ground, so Einstein's relativity theory comes into play when figuring out where on Earth you are.
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.
