All Stories
- Physics
Invisible comet tails of mucus slow sinking flakes of ‘marine snow’
New measurements reveal the gunk that surrounds the particles, an important factor in understanding how the ocean sequesters carbon.
- Math
Here are some astounding scientific firsts of 2023
Notable feats include discovering a planet-eating star, extracting RNA from an extinct animal and more.
- Climate
3 Antarctic glaciers show rapidly accelerated ice loss from ocean warming
Destabilized by ocean waves and vanishing sea ice, Antarctica’s Hektoria glacier lost 25 kilometers of ice in 16 months — a possible hint of what’s to come.
- Animals
Here are 5 questions about the mystery dog illness making news
Experts suspect a perfect storm of conditions, rather than a new bug, is what’s driving “atypical kennel cough” cases in dogs across the United States.
- Climate
COP28 nations agreed to ‘transition’ from fossil fuels. That’s too slow, experts say
COP28 ended with a historic climate agreement to begin moving away from fossil fuels, but stopped short of mandating phasing them out.
- Earth
Here are some big-if-true scientific claims that made headlines in 2023
Hominid cannibalism, “dark stars,” the secrets of Earth’s core and more tantalizing findings will require more evidence before scientists can confirm them as fact.
- Oceans
Ocean heat waves often lurk out of sight
About 1 in 3 marine heat waves occur below the surface, a new study reports, suggesting these harmful events are more common than previously thought.
- Animals
When do cats play fetch? When they feel like it
Most cats that play fetch picked it up on their own, a study of cat owners suggests. The felines tend to dictate when a fetching session begins and ends.
- Health & Medicine
Here are some of the biggest medical advances in 2023
The first CRISPR gene-editing therapy, a new Alzheimer’s drug and RSV vaccines were among the big developments in medicine this year.
- Astronomy
A bar of stars at the center of the Milky Way looks surprisingly young
The ages and locations of metal-rich stars in the galaxy suggest the Milky Way’s central bar finished forming just a few billion years ago.
- Animals
A new species of hedgehog stands out for its short spikes
At first, the eastern forest hedgehog was mistaken for its cousin. Dental and DNA analyses eventually confirmed the critter is a species new to science.
- Health & Medicine
Why weight-loss drugs became more popular than ever this year
Ozempic and related drugs can drastically reduce body weight, and more potent versions are on the way. But questions remain about who should take them.
