Did We Receive a Message from a Planet Orbiting the Nearest Star?
A radio blip, seemingly from Proxima Centauri, where an Earth-size planet world orbits in the habitable zone, is tantalizing—but it’s probably not a signal from aliens
Brown Tree Snakes Twist Themselves into ‘Lassos’ to Climb
The reptiles scale trees with a technique never before observed in any snake
Bees Use ‘Bullshit’ Defense to Keep Giant Hornets at Bay
The prospect of death by giant hornet has pushed some Asian honeybees to resort to a poop-based defense system
Our Improbable Existence Is No Evidence for a Multiverse
Experts in probability have spotted a logical flaw in theorists’ reasoning
Extremely Boring Aliens
Perhaps other life in the universe is, in the end, utterly dull
Mosquitoes Stab Animals with a Syringelike Proboscis
Viewed side by side, the insects’ organ and a human-made syringe are uncannily similar
Humans May Have Befriended Wolves with Meat
Unlike humans, wolves can subsist on protein alone for months—so scientists say we may have lobbed leaner leftovers their way. Christopher Intagliata reports.
Dog Domestication May Have Begun because Paleo Humans Couldn’t Stomach the Original Paleo Diet
Unable to digest large amounts of protein, hunters likely left scraps that could have led to the taming of wolves
Will Increasing Traffic to the Moon Contaminate Its Precious Ice?
Scientists seek guidance on exploring frozen caches at the lunar poles responsibly
How to Avoid Becoming a Meal for a Cheetah
Researchers help farmers in Namibia avoid costly cattle losses by tracking big cat hangouts
Can Free Community College Unite a Divided U.S.?
The incoming Biden-Harris administration wants to launch a new era in higher education that will make it open to everyone
How the Coronavirus Pandemic Shaped Our Language in 2020
Linguist Ben Zimmer says the pandemic has turned us all into amateur epidemiologists utilizing terms such as “superspreader” and “asymptomatic.” Christopher Intagliata reports.