science and technology Meet <i>Cambroraster falcatus</i>, the sediment-sifting ‘Roomba’ of the Cambrian By www.pbs.org Published On :: This crustacean-like critter stalked the seas half a billion years ago. Full Article
science and technology A new trio of exoplanets could offer clues to how midsized planets form By www.pbs.org Published On :: The trifecta, discovered by NASA’s TESS, includes a “super-Earth” and two “sub-Neptunes” in a system called TOI-270. Full Article
science and technology A new 3D map of the Milky Way flaunts our galaxy’s warped shape By www.pbs.org Published On :: Using data from an especially bright population of stars, astronomers have reconstructed the Milky Way’s peaks and valleys like never before. Full Article
science and technology The little bicycle that could, thanks to artificial intelligence By www.pbs.org Published On :: An AI chip designed to mimic certain aspects of the human brain has given a bicycle an unprecedented level of autonomy. Full Article
science and technology How kiwi plants’ Shy Girls and Friendly Boys helped them evolve separate sexes By www.pbs.org Published On :: These two genes are all it takes to determine the sex of a kiwifruit. Full Article
science and technology Science As Told by Teens: Reflecting on the Pilot of NOVA Science Studio By www.pbs.org Published On :: With a goal to empower youth to tell stories about the world in new ways, NOVA Science Studio was able to give students exposure to a wide range of careers in STEM, journalism, and media production. Full Article
science and technology There will be blood, and physics, too: The messy science of bloodstain pattern analysis By www.pbs.org Published On :: Researchers are using fluid dynamics to try to improve the study of crime scene blood spatter. Full Article
science and technology Total warfare among the Maya began earlier than once thought By www.pbs.org Published On :: The burnt ruins of a Maya city in what’s now Guatemala hold clues to its untimely demise at the turn of the 7th century. Full Article
science and technology Super-shy catsharks have a weird way of lighting up By www.pbs.org Published On :: Two kinds of glow-in-the-dark catsharks convert blue light to green, and now we know how. Full Article
science and technology Iron from ancient supernovae may still be raining down on Earth By www.pbs.org Published On :: A rare iron isotope produced by exploding stars has been found in Antarctic snow. Full Article
science and technology Cone-shaped meteorites are ‘just right’ for plummeting to Earth By www.pbs.org Published On :: Researchers eroding clay in water may have uncovered secrets of meteorites’ aerodynamic stability. Full Article
science and technology Two new Ebola drugs dramatically boost survival in a clinical trial By www.pbs.org Published On :: Both treatments rely on infusing patients with antibodies that latch onto the virus and block it from invading cells. Full Article
science and technology Jupiter’s ravenous past might help explain its diffuse, hazy core By www.pbs.org Published On :: A computer simulation suggests that a massive collision may have caused Jupiter’s core to shatter into a gassy, borderless cloud. Full Article
science and technology Deep-Earth diamonds may contain gassy relics from the early solar system By www.pbs.org Published On :: Scientists studying diamonds from deep within Earth’s mantle found evidence of a reservoir of rocks and gas that may be nearly as old as the planet itself. Full Article
science and technology A new form of carbon is born—on a bed of salt By www.pbs.org Published On :: The long-sought molecule could one day power high-energy electronics. Full Article
science and technology Hurricanes give aggressive spiders a leg up on their docile kin By www.pbs.org Published On :: For Anelosimus studiosus spiders, the storm survival checklist apparently includes a combative personality. Full Article
science and technology The weird and wonderful world growing spuds (and other crops) in space By www.pbs.org Published On :: With the right kind of care, plenty of plants actually do just fine in microgravity. Full Article
science and technology In a first, astronomers may have detected a black hole swallowing a neutron star By www.pbs.org Published On :: The LIGO and Virgo observatories appear to have picked up gravitational waves from a first-of-its-kind astronomical observation. Full Article
science and technology On Mars, microbes could hitch a ride on wind-borne dust By www.pbs.org Published On :: Experiments in Chile’s Atacama Desert point to a potential method of transportation for microbes on Mars—whether they exist there already, or we introduce them. Full Article
science and technology Climate change could mean more mercury in seafood By www.pbs.org Published On :: The threat of mercury in seafood was curbed with regulations, but climate change could drive levels back up. Full Article
science and technology Researchers use viral genomes to uncover a Zika outbreak in Cuba By www.pbs.org Published On :: The virus simmered quietly in Cuba for about a year before infecting thousands. Full Article
science and technology Cheeseburgers give urban crows higher cholesterol—just like us By www.pbs.org Published On :: But it’s not clear whether elevated cholesterol is bad for birds. Full Article
science and technology These albino lizards are the first gene-edited non-avian reptiles By www.pbs.org Published On :: Scientists injected CRISPR gene-editing machinery into unfertilized eggs still developing in female lizards’ ovaries. Full Article
science and technology In 17,000-year-old puma poop, a glimpse of Ice Age parasites By www.pbs.org Published On :: The feces contain the oldest example of parasite DNA ever recorded. Full Article
science and technology First Americans arrived at least 16,000 years ago, and probably by boat By www.pbs.org Published On :: Artifacts unearthed in Idaho challenge the idea that the first people to populate the Americas made the journey on foot around the end of the Ice Age. Full Article
science and technology A microprocessor made of carbon nanotubes says, “Hello, World!” By www.pbs.org Published On :: The technology is still in its infancy, but could someday aid the development of faster, more energy-efficient electronics. Full Article
science and technology Moonlight turns white barn owls into terrifying ‘ghosts’ By www.pbs.org Published On :: The feathery glint startles their rodent prey, making them easier to catch. Full Article
science and technology Squirrels eavesdrop on bird chatter to tell when a threat has passed By www.pbs.org Published On :: These nosy rodents may not speak bird-ese, per se, but they can still use avian chatter as a safety cue. Full Article
science and technology Hurricane Dorian crawls up the coast from Florida to Virginia By www.pbs.org Published On :: Some of the storm’s features hint at troubling trends in recent hurricanes. Full Article
science and technology Fossil finger points to a surprising link between humans and Denisovans By www.pbs.org Published On :: New findings suggest Neanderthals evolved their unusually broad fingers after they split from Denisovans, just 400,000 years ago. Full Article
science and technology How Kīlauea’s lava birthed an algal bloom visible from space By www.pbs.org Published On :: Lava descending into Hawai‘i’s ocean drove an upward surge of deep sea nutrients, cultivating life at the surface. Full Article
science and technology Supercooling preserves donor livers for more than a day By www.pbs.org Published On :: The breakthrough could mean that fewer organs go to waste before they make it into a transplant recipient. Full Article
science and technology Newly described species of electric eel serves up shocks of 860 volts By www.pbs.org Published On :: That earns this fish, Electrophorus voltai, the title of the strongest known living source of electricity. Full Article
science and technology Intricate ‘toe maps’ exist in the brains of artists who paint with their feet By www.pbs.org Published On :: Two men born without arms showcase the brain’s extraordinary flexibility. Full Article
science and technology Water vapor found on an ‘Earth-sized’ exoplanet 110 light-years from home By www.pbs.org Published On :: Scientists say the planet, called K2-18b, is “the best candidate for habitability” beyond our solar system. Full Article
science and technology Popular pesticide throws off birds’ feeding and migration schedules By www.pbs.org Published On :: Delays during migration can imperil birds’ chances of a successful breeding season. Full Article
science and technology Astronomers discover two giant, high-energy ‘bubbles’ at the center of the Milky Way By www.pbs.org Published On :: The gargantuan structures hint at a massive explosion in our galaxy’s past. Full Article
science and technology Astronomers may have just detected the most massive neutron star yet By www.pbs.org Published On :: It’s almost too dense to exist. Almost. Full Article
science and technology Soot from polluted air can reach the fetal side of the placenta By www.pbs.org Published On :: A new study hints at the ways in which air pollution may directly impact a fetus. Full Article
science and technology Scientists are about to lock themselves into an Arctic ice floe for a year By www.pbs.org Published On :: In the largest Arctic expedition yet, researchers will gather as much data as they can on the fading ice—and climate change. Full Article
science and technology An ancient asteroid collision fostered life on Earth By www.pbs.org Published On :: A new study suggests a plume of dust once blocked the sun’s rays from Earth, triggering an ice age some 466 million years ago. Full Article
science and technology Antibiotic-resistant bacteria in farm animals are rising in low- and middle-income countries By www.pbs.org Published On :: That spells trouble for the entire planet. Full Article
science and technology To save climate-sensitive pikas, conservation efforts need to get local By www.pbs.org Published On :: American pikas’ responses to climate are driven by location, location, location. Full Article
science and technology Study finds kittens bond with their human caregivers like babies do By www.pbs.org Published On :: They’re not as aloof as some think. Full Article
science and technology Cooking changed human history. Did it change our microbes too? By www.pbs.org Published On :: Gut microbes react differently to raw and cooked versions of the same foods. Full Article
science and technology Rabbit study hints at the origins of the female orgasm By www.pbs.org Published On :: Researchers used rabbits and antidepressants to search for a link between orgasm and ovulation in female mammals. Full Article
science and technology Planet Nine probably isn’t a black hole. But it might be worth checking By www.pbs.org Published On :: A pair of physicists think it’s possible that a tiny black hole left over from the universe’s early days lurks in the outer solar system. Full Article
science and technology Wildlife trade may put nearly 9,000 land-based species at risk of extinction By www.pbs.org Published On :: A new analysis predicts that 3,196 animals will join the 5,579 already snared in the global wildlife market. Full Article
science and technology Scientists just snapped the best image yet of the universe’s ‘cosmic web’ By www.pbs.org Published On :: Light from nearby galaxies illuminated the web’s ‘threads,’ making them directly visible to telescopes on Earth. Full Article
science and technology Scientists may now be able to predict forest die-off up to 19 months in advance By www.pbs.org Published On :: Even forests that look green from space can show symptoms of impending decline. Full Article