Google's Top Searches of 2014
Americans looked to Google for information on Ebola, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge and the actor Robin Williams’s suicide this year—all of which ranked among the hottest search terms of 2014.
"news"
The Pitfalls of Growing a Monster Pumpkin
Squashing the competition at a giant pumpkin weigh-off requires patience, persistence—and a little bit of luck.
A Corpse Flower Blooms in the Bronx
For the first time since 1939, the New York Botanical Garden has coaxed a corpse flower to open its massive bloom and flood the greenhouse with the stench of sewers and rotting meat.
How Elite Sprinters Run So Fast
Scientists study the stride of Olympic athlete Mike Rodgers
![Miniature Space Telescope Could Boost the Hunt for "Earth Proxima" [Video]](https://static.scientificamerican.com/sciam/cache/file/E3EC5DD4-3FC5-44B5-94503492791436DB_agenda.jpg?w=275&h=154&fit=crop)
Miniature Space Telescope Could Boost the Hunt for "Earth Proxima" [Video]
A new film presents an innovative plan to image potentially habitable planets around our sun's closest stellar neighbor—Alpha Centauri
An Olympic Showdown: Human versus Bat
Could the tiny vampire bat give Olympic sprinters in Rio a run for their money?
Lemurs Issue Musky Memorandums
Male lemurs mix their scented secretions to send long-lasting messages to one another.
Shy Fish Prefer Like-Minded Leaders
When a shy fish ventures into the unknown, it prefers to follow a fish with a similarly cautious personality.
Calculating Imponderable Complexity with Quantum Supercomputers
Large quantum computers are difficult to build, but they can answer questions too complicated for conventional computation, unlocking new research possibilities in fields like protein modeling and data encryption.This video was reproduced with permission and was first published on March 22, 2017. It is a Nature Video production.Nature has full responsibility for all editorial content, including Nature Video content. This content is editorially independent of sponsors.
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.
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.
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
400 Fish Released into the Revitalized Bronx River
The release of 400 alewife herring marks a significant milestone in a broader river cleanup effort.
Lasers and Drones Help Preserve Ancient Temples
3-D digital preservation not only helps save the memories of historical sites, it also guides restoration projects after natural disasters, such as the earthquakes that damaged the temples of Bagan.Editor's Note: Viewers sensitive to flashing light may want to avoid this video.
Fluorescence Is a State of Mind: Stefan Hell
How to break a fundamental law of physics and win a Nobel Prize to boot. Stefan Hell explains super-resolved fluorescence microscopy for which he shared the 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Designer Probiotics for Cancer
New research on mice demonstrates a way to use designer bacteria as a non-invasive test for cancer.
Mercury's Rare Road Trip
Thirteen times a century, on average, Mercury passes directly between Earth and the sun, creating what astronomers call a transit. It just happened again; this video, created with images from the orbiting Solar Dynamics Observatory shows the tiny planet’s silhouette as it makes its seven-hour journey across the solar disk.
Drones Could Speed Up HIV Tests in Remote Areas
Malawi has started a test program that uses drones to improve access to HIV testing for babies, because factors including poor roads and high transportation costs can result in delays in testing that prevent access to treatment. Sharon Reich reports.
Gray Squirrels Stay Flexible When Foraging
Gray squirrels spend time solving problems, even if it slows down their hunt for food. Jim Drury reports
