Stories by Stephanie Pappas

Stars fueled by the self-annihilation of dark matter might have been spotted for the first time by JWST

Kids don’t typically advance academically during the summer, but the research isn’t clear on whether they forget what they’ve already learned

The vagus nerve is the key information expressway between the brain and most internal organs. So what happens in the vagus nerve can impact the entire body

The disk of our galaxy was long thought to produce these ghostly high-energy particles, but they haven’t been detected until now

Wildfires can have mental health impacts, both among those who are directly affected and those who find themselves under a blanket of smoke

Animals have been catching z’s for at least half a billion years. Here’s the first evidence of an animal sleeping

Here’s how to read the Air Quality Index and protect yourself from unhealthy air

Mass shootings are causing widespread anxiety among Americans. A new screening tool could identify those who are impacted enough to need mental health support

Killer whales in a group near Spain and Portugal may be teaching one another to mess with small boats. They sank their third vessel earlier this month

Kissing probably predates Homo sapiens as a species, but the first texts documenting the beso go back to the early Bronze Age

A book-shaped rock spotted by the Curiosity rover on Mars is the result of an interplay of wind, water—and the human brain

Lañilawal, a Patagonian cypress that may be one of the oldest trees on Earth, needs greater protection if scientists are to understand its secrets of survival, an environmental scientist says

An increase in activity in dying brains might be associated with last-minute conscious experiences, but scientists don’t know for sure

New research attempts to discern how bizarre particles of strange matter form in the nuclei of atoms

The first timekeeping devices were probably natural materials lost to the ages, but the ancient Egyptians were the first to leave records of their timekeeping methods

Killer whales rip open the bellies of sharks to snag the liver. Other predators also have dietary preferences for organs, brains and additional rich body parts

A new review finds that only some methods to counteract conspiracy beliefs are effective. Here’s what works and what doesn’t

It’s probably a matter of when and how, not if, we humans will meet our doom

The World Health Organization declared the COVID outbreak a pandemic three years ago. Here’s what’s changed since then

The idea that wolf packs are led by a merciless dictator, or alpha wolf, comes from old studies of captive wolves. In the wild, wolf packs are simply families

Echoes from earthquakes suggest that Earth’s solid inner core has its own core

Trees communicate and cooperate through a fungal web, according to a widespread idea. But not everyone is convinced

In newly deciphered letters written from captivity in the late 1500s, deposed queen of Scotland Mary Stuart complained about her health and tried to negotiate her release

Does this all feel a little familiar? Called déjà vu, that sensation may be your brain correcting its own errors