Here’s why the geometric patterns in salt flats worldwide look so similar
From Death Valley to Chile to Iran, similarly sized polygons of salt form in playas all over the world —…
How some beetles ‘drink’ water using their butts
Some beetles “drink” using their butts, and scientists are starting to understand how. Red flour beetles, a major agricultural pest,…
Here are the Top 10 threats to the survival of civilization
Civilizations don’t last forever. Just ask the Aztecs. Or the Maya. Or fans of the original Roman Empire. From the…
The W boson might not be heavier than expected after all
The battle over the heft of a hard-to-detect particle is heating up. What’s at stake? Only the leading theory describing…
What did Homo sapiens eat 170,000 years ago? Roasted, supersized land snails
Slow-motion large land snails made for easy catching and good eating as early as 170,000 years ago. Until now, the…
Planets without stars might have moons suitable for life
NOORDWIJK, THE NETHERLANDS — Life might arise in the darkest of places: the moon of a planet wandering the galaxy…
A new battery starves cancer cells of oxygen in mice
It’s not great when a person sucks all the oxygen out of a room. When a battery does it to…
Capybaras thrive, even near humans, because they’re not picky eaters
Capybaras, the world’s largest rodent, naturally live in vast grasslands, wetlands and rivers throughout South America. Their name literally means…
The antiviral drug Paxlovid reduces the risk of getting long COVID
The antiviral medication Paxlovid seems to reduce the chance of developing long COVID, researchers report. In a large study of…
Native Americans corralled Spanish horses decades before Europeans arrived
Indigenous knowledge and Western science have written a new tale about when horses most recently arrived in North America. Spaniards…
