February 21, 2025
The CEO of one of America’s oldest scientific societies discusses the recent cuts to scientific institutions, and how scientists can respond. Plus, flu infections are the highest they’ve been in nearly 30 years, and flu deaths this winter have surpassed COVID deaths. And, a video of a gloriously creepy anglerfish inspired tears and poetry online.
Approved Reactors Could Power Up Nuclear Industry
Federal agency approves a license to build two nuclear reactors designed to provide cooling in absence of electricity.
Concrete’s Role As A Building Block In History
A look at concrete — from its use in the Paleolithic Age to today’s greener alternatives.
Digital Tools Help Document Vanishing Languages
A linguist unveils thousands of audio recordings of words and sentences from dying languages.
Where’s the Cuttlefish?
Cuttlefish change the patterns on their body for courtship rituals, when they eat a snack, and most famously when they want to blend in.
Drug Rapidly Counters Effects of Alzheimer’s In Mice
A drug given to mice with Alzheimer’s quickly improved memory deficits and behavior resulting from the disease.
The Science Of Yoga: The Risks And The Rewards
New York Times science writer William Broad’s book investigates popular health claims about yoga.
Next Supercontinent Could Form At The North Pole
A study in Nature challenges existing theories on where the next supercontinent will form.
Valentine’s Day Special: Look Of Love
Our pupils change size in response to light, and thoughts.
Notes From A Former ‘Guitar Zero’
Why it’s not too late to learn how to play a musical instrument.
Why Vinyl Sounds Better Than CD, Or Not
Two experts explain the audio science behind the music.
Drone Technology Reaches New Heights
Experts discuss the military and commercial applications of increasingly sophisticated drones.
Listening In On The Brain To Decode Speech
A study in PLoS Biology details how researchers decoded the brain’s electrical activity to reconstruct speech.
Study Tracks Alzheimer’s Progression In Mice
A new study looks at the role a corrupted protein plays in the development of Alzheimer’s disease.
What’s So Cool About Frozen Water?
Ice can be hard to get a handle on, literally and figuratively.
Mini Speed Demons
From mantis shrimp to trap-jaw ants, some of the fastest organisms on the planet are ones you may never have heard of.
What Happens When You Levitate Flies?
In a recent study, Richard Hill levitated fruit flies to see how they behaved when they didn’t have gravity pulling them down.
Microorganisms on the Move
In this activity, students will learn how to prepare deep well slides for observing two types of microorganisms called Paramecium (a group of protozoa, or single-celled organisms, which move with cilia, so they are called “ciliates”) and Euglena (microorganisms which move with flagella, so they are known as “flagellates”).
Cool Craniums
In this activity, students will observe three “mystery” mammal skulls and compare and contrast the features of each skull. Students will learn the anatomical terms for skull features such as orbits, nasal passages, and foramen magnum. Students will learn how these features relate to physical characteristics or behaviors of each animal. Students will use their observations and recordings to attempt to identify each skull, and will discuss how these physical characteristics helped the animal survive in its environment.
Behind the Scenes with Inventor – and Actor – Hedy Lamarr
A new book looks at the life of the brainy movie star Hedy Lamarr.
Behold, The 1,000-Pound Pumpkin
Visit Robert Sabin’s pumpkin patch: he has been growing giant pumpkins—the breed is Atlantic Giant—for over ten years.