Hibernating bumblebee queens have a superpower: Surviving for days underwater
It’s not easy being a queen — a bumblebee queen, that is. To start her colony in the spring, an…
What can period blood reveal about a person’s health?
When you think of getting tested for a disease, you might think first of nasal swabs, urine tests, blood draws.…
In ‘Get the Picture,’ science helps explore the meaning of art
Get the PictureBianca BoskerViking, $29 If you’re like me, perhaps you’ve visited a contemporary art installation, seen a painting of…
This robot can tell when you’re about to smile — and smile back
With its hairless silicone skin and blue complexion, Emo the robot looks more like a mechanical re-creation of the Blue…
This newfound longhorn beetle species is unusually fluffy
Meet Excastra albopilosa, a newly identified species of longhorn beetle that rocks an unusually fluffy white coat. Discovered in Australia,…
50 years ago, scientists wondered how birds find their way home
A world concealed from man but known to birds — Science News, April 13, 1974 What subtle sensory cues enable…
Scientists find a naturally occurring molecule that forms a fractal
Fractals are everywhere in nature, from river deltas to tree branches. These structures look similar from afar as when you…
In a first, these crab spiders appear to collaborate, creating camouflage
Some crab spiders have ditched webs for flowers. Masters of disguise, female Thomisus guangxicus spiders blend in with petals, which…
This marine alga is the first known eukaryote to pull nitrogen from air
It’s time to welcome a new type of cell to the club of living things that can harvest nitrogen from…
50 years ago, scientists found a lunar rock nearly as old as the moon
A rock from the moon’s early days — Science News, March 30, 1974 Taking its last shot at the prize, the Apollo…
