Science
ELVES: When a lightning produces powerful electromagnetic pulses
ELVES is an incredibly rare form of lightning that occurs when an electromagnetic pulse shoots upward from the clouds and…
How lightning actually occurs during a thunderstorm
During a lightning strike, temperatures may reach 54,000°F (30,000°C) in a matter of tenths of a second to one hundred…
How the building blocks of life formed in space
Cosmic dust particles as potential factories of biological compounds.
Archaeometry: History as shown through artifacts
In the United Kingdom, archaeometry receives funding from the Natural and Environmental Research Council that is distinct from archaeological funding.
Metamaterials: How to Become Invisible
Metamaterials exhibit physical features that do not exist in nature, such as the ability to render things invisible, alter radiation,…
Oldest viviparous snake fossil unearthed
A boa that lived 47 million years ago and died shortly after giving birth had at least two babies.
How the Great Barrier Reef was formed
Between 1.2 and 0.7 million years ago, a sand barrier formed, allowing reefs to emerge.
Earliest evidence of cooking: 780,000 years old cooked fish teeth
Fossil fish teeth provide the earliest evidence of cooking by our ancestors. Early humans cooked their food as old as…
Thought experiment: How analogies and paradoxes pave the way for science
Thought experiments are a tool of the imagination that helps you look at the nature of things from new and…
Twins: The fascinating emergence of life
About 3.2 percent of births in the United States are twins. This means that there are 32 twins for every…
Organocatalysis: Organic catalysts give chemistry wings
Organocatalysis Only a little more than 20 years have passed since organocatalysis was first developed. During that time, the field…
The science of orgasm: Why does it exist at all?
Why the male orgasm exists seems clear: the ejaculate is needed for reproduction. On the contrary, the female orgasm still…