Behavior
These Adorable Jellyfish Show Learning Doesn’t Even Require a Brain
Human scientists—used to the benefits of a centralized, complex brain—have been underestimating what a simple nerve network can do
Stories by Meghan Bartels
Planetary Science
Jupiter’s Moon Europa May Hide Tantalizing Carbon in Mysterious Ocean
Jupiter’s mysterious moon Europa may hold carbon in the ocean lurking beneath its icy shell
Space Exploration
Massive Sun Outburst Smacks NASA Spacecraft
If it had hit Earth, this coronal mass ejection could have caused continent-scale blackouts, scientists say
Extraterrestrial Life
NASA Wants to Make UFO Studies a Real Science
NASA has appointed a director of unidentified anomalous phenomena research to advance that area of scientific investigation
Weather
Why Hurricane Lee Is Growing Bigger
Hurricane Lee is no longer a Category 5 storm but has grown in size as it has trekked farther north
Climate Change
Humans Have Crossed 6 of 9 ‘Planetary Boundaries’
Scientists analyzed nine so-called planetary boundaries and found humans are currently transgressing six
Weather
How Hurricanes Jova and Lee Rapidly Exploded into Category 5 Storms
Within days of each other, Hurricane Jova in the Pacific and Hurricane Lee in the Atlantic rapidly ballooned into Category 5 storms
Planetary Science
Watch a Comet’s Tail Get Mangled by the Sun
Discovered only last month, Comet Nishimura is drawing attention before close approaches to the sun and Earth in the coming weeks
Animals
Why Do Cats Knead like They’re Making Biscuits?
Often nicknamed “making biscuits,” kneading is a good sign that your cat is happy, experts say
Natural Disasters
What’s in Floodwaters?
Floodwaters from hurricanes, sea-level rise, a burst dam or other causes can contain a nasty mix of pathogens, chemicals and debris
Endangered Species
Endangered California Condors Get Bird Flu Vaccine
After avian influenza killed 21 endangered California Condors, government officials are testing a vaccine that could protect the massive scavengers from infection
Endangered Species
Penguin Chicks Are Dying Off as Antarctic Sea Ice Disappears
Record-low sea ice caused Emperor Penguin chicks to die across Antarctica last year. This year could be just as bad
Plants
Tropical Forests May Be Getting Too Hot for Photosynthesis
When trees get too hot, energy production in their leaves breaks down
Ecology
Turtle Shells Record Nuclear History
Minuscule amounts of uranium detected in the shells of turtles point to a new way to track such materials’ impacts on people and ecosystems
Natural Disasters
Americans Have Breathed More Wildfire Smoke in Eight Months Than in Entire Years
Smoke from wildfires that have been exacerbated by climate change is complicating the picture of air pollution in the U.S.
Space Exploration
Can Russia’s Luna-25 Moon Mission Transcend Earthly Politics?
In the latest chapter of an ongoing “moon rush,” Russia’s Luna-25 mission will attempt the nation’s first lunar landing in nearly 50 years
Paleontology
Fossils Buried in LA Tar Pit Show Why Saber-Toothed Cats Blinked Out of Existence
At Los Angeles’ La Brea Tar Pits, scientists found they could watch large mammals disappear from the fossil record—and could trace the ecosystem through the catastrophe
Ecology
More than Half of Earth’s Species Live Underground
Researchers set out to calculate how much of Earth’s life dwells in the planet’s least admired environment
Paleontology
Bizarre-Looking Colossus Whale May Have Been Heaviest Animal Ever (Sorry, Blue Whales)
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” says a paleontologist not involved in the discovery of a 40-million-year-old fossilized whale
Space Exploration
NASA Detects ‘Heartbeat’ from Voyager 2 Spacecraft after Losing Contact
A glitch may have silenced NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft until mid-October—but a “heartbeat” signal offers hope for reestablishing contact earlier
