Evolution
Dinosaurs' Spiky Armor May Have Been Status Symbol
Soft-tissue patterns on a well-preserved fossil suggest that elaborate spines helped dinosaurs to attract mates and communicate
Stories by Nature
Policy & Ethics
China's Embrace of Embryo Selection Raises Thorny Questions
Fertility centers are making a massive push to increase preimplanatation genetic diagnosis in a bid to eradicate certain diseases
Evolution
Stop Hoarding Ancient Bones, Plead Archaeologists
Scientists call for wider access to rare samples rich in DNA
Natural Disasters
U.S. Biomedical Research Facilities Still Unprepared for Natural Disasters and Attacks
Science panel says institutions need to do more to prevent and mitigate damage to research equipment and animals
Space
Mysteries of Sun's Corona on View During Upcoming Eclipse
From ground, sky and space, researchers are ready to test latest technologies on the Great American Eclipse
Neuroscience
How to Map the Circuits That Define Us
Neuroscientists want to understand how tangles of neurons produce complex behaviors, but even the simplest networks defy understanding
Space
Citizen Scientists Chase Total Solar Eclipse
Non-scientists are being recruited to collect data on everything from the Sun’s outer atmosphere to animal behavior
Public Health
Insomnia Linked to Premature Birth in Study of 3 Million Mothers
Women with sleep disorders were about twice as likely to deliver babies more than six weeks early
Medical & Biotech
First Genetically Engineered Salmon Sold in Canada
US firm AquaBounty Technologies says that its transgenic fish has hit the market after a 25-year wait
Physics
The Race to Reveal Antimatter's Secrets
In the shadow of the Large Hadron Collider, six teams are competing to answer one of the universe’s deepest existential questions
Biology
Nocturnal Pollinators Go Dark under Street Lamps
Plants illuminated by artificial lights see a drop in the number of insects that move pollen at night
Climate
Fears Rise for U.S. Climate Report as Trump Officials Take Reins
Officials at the EPA are consulting global-warming sceptics as they weigh up a technical review
Mental Health
Chimpanzees Are First Animal Shown to Develop Telltale Markers of Alzheimer's Disease
Brain analysis revealed protein plaques and tangles, but whether the animals develop dementia is unclear
Space
China Ramping Up Quest to Become a Space Science Superpower
But Beijing is often sidelined in international collaboration, and U.S. laws against collaboration slow efforts down
Medicine
Medicine's Movable Feast: What Jumping Genes Can Teach Us about Treating Disease
Ancient viruses “fossilized” in the genome may contribute to maladies from autoimmune diseases to schizophrenia
Public Health
U.S. Defense Agencies Grapple with Gene Drives
The technology can quickly spread genetic modifications
Climate
Overlooked Water Loss in Plants Could Throw Off Climate Models
Errors could cause researchers to overestimate the rate of photosynthesis when water is scarce
Policy & Ethics
Scientists in Limbo as U.S. Supreme Court Allows Modified Travel Ban
Justices overturn lower court rulings on policy targeting people from six majority-Muslim countries
Engineering
Searching for Signs of the Next Catastrophic Quake
Geophysicists are ramping up their efforts to monitor major undersea faults for movement with sea-floor sensors
The Body
Fetal Immune System Active by Second Trimester
New understanding may help reveal some causes of miscarriage
