Basic Research

This clean energy invention runs on nothing but cold, night air

By Nsikan Akpan

A new thermoelectric generator could bring light to one billion people who live without power...if market forces will let it.

Is climate change making hurricanes stall?

By Gretchen Frazee

Over the last seven decades, hurricane stalling, which causes a storm to release massive amounts of rain on small areas, has become more common.

There is no ‘gay gene.’ There is no ‘straight gene.’ Sexuality is just complex, study confirms

By Nsikan Akpan

A genetics study of nearly half a million people closes the door on a long-standing debate in sexuality.

9 numbers you need to know to understand the Amazon fires

By Vicky Stein

Here’s a look at some of the numbers that define the fires burning in the Amazon.

No, the Amazon fires won’t deplete the Earth’s oxygen supply. Here’s why.

By Scott Denning, The Conversation

There are many reasons to be appalled by this year’s Amazon fires, but depleting Earth’s oxygen supply is not one of them.

Russian capsule carrying robot fails space station docking

By Associated Press

A statement from the Russian space agency Roscosmos said the failure on Saturday was because of problems in the docking system. It said the space station itself and the six-person crew are safe.

‘Old Town Road’ defied a 20-year trend in hit music. Math explains why

By Nsikan Akpan

A new study shows the average lifetime in the charts for singles and albums has dropped dramatically since the 1990s. How did "Old Town Road" buck this trend?…

This young scientist studies wild animals. Bias against disability won’t stop her

By Vicky Stein

Field biologist Charlotte Devitz is part of a trend: researchers expanding the boundaries of accessible science.

Huge wildfires in the Arctic and far North send a planetary warning

By Nancy Fresco, The Conversation

More than 600 wildfires have consumed more than 2.4 million acres of forest across Alaska this summer, and fires are also raging in northern Canada and Siberia.

Does the placenta carry germs? What parents should know before they eat one

By Nsikan Akpan

What started as an innocent look into the trend of people consuming placentas uncovered a heated academic debate over whether the placenta has a microbiome.