News

On the Heels of a Light Beam

As a 16-year-old boy, Albert Einstein imagined chasing after a beam of light in the vacuum of space. He mused…

4 years ago

“Ghost Flights” Haunt the Skies, Enlarging Carbon Footprints

When Allison Vanore stepped onto a plane last week, she was shocked to find scores of empty seats. Vanore, a…

4 years ago

The Pandemic Could Lead to More Discrimination against Black Americans

Ventilator shortages are looming, and unemployment in the United States has surged to the highest levels since the Great Depression.…

4 years ago

Warm Clothes Could Be Made of Chicken Feathers

Originally published in March 1951 Credit: Scientific AmericanAdvertisement “What fabrics best insulate the body against the loss of heat? Tests…

4 years ago

Antimatter Discovery Reveals Clues about the Universe’s Beginning

In the beginning, there was matter and antimatter, and then there was only matter. Why? This question is one of…

4 years ago

The Lost Worlds of Soviet Space Graphics [Slideshow]

A new book captures the pioneering, propaganda-infused visions of mid-20th-century Soviet space explorationOutlook, issue 4, 1976, ‘Yuri Gagarin: Let’s Go!’,…

4 years ago

Three Ways to Make Coronavirus Drugs In a Hurry

Mark Denison began hunting for a drug to treat COVID-19 almost a decade before the contagion, driven by a novel…

4 years ago

Diseases Can Jump to Humans from Plants, Not Just from Animals

The current COVID-19 pandemic underscores how unprepared we humans are in fighting zoonotic diseases: pathogens that originate in wildlife and…

4 years ago

Researchers Claim Rainfall Triggered Kilauea Eruption, but Others Remain Skeptical

On April 30, 2018, the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater on Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano suddenly collapsed—marking the starting point for its largest…

4 years ago

Birds on Rhinos’ Backs Help Them Avoid Poachers

Black rhinos have terrible eyesight. Even so, these giant African herbivores easily fend off hungry lions and hyenas. “Their basic…

4 years ago