Basic Research

When these frogs move to cities, they change the way they flirt

By Vicky Stein

As more humans move into concrete jungles, other animals, like túngara frogs, are joining them — and adjusting their behaviors along the way.

Why coastal Carolina may never recover from its intensifying hurricanes

By Nsikan Akpan

Coastal hurricanes are leaving behind toxic algal blooms, a new silent threat to water quality. It is one of three ways that these storms are changing North Carolina for good.

Years after his death, Lonesome George’s genome offers clues to long life

By Vicky Stein

Lonesome George, a wizened Galapagos giant tortoise, was the last of his kind. Now, researchers are using the iconic tortoise’s genetic material to better understand what it takes to live a long life.

Why the fattest bear is the picture of health

By Vicky Stein

Scientists say bears are the “metabolic magicians of the mammalian world.” And someday, the secrets of these bears' cycles may help inform human health, too.

How to cook the perfect Thanksgiving turkey, according to science

By Jamie Leventhal

Thanksgiving turkeys often come out dry and tasteless, but not this year. Here's how you can use basic chemistry to make a stunning main dish for you and your guests to gobble down.

The new definition of the kilogram will change the way we weigh everything

By Vicky Stein

On Friday, representatives from 57 nations will gather in a conference room in Versailles, France to redefine the kilogram. In other words: the way we weigh the world is about to change.

Climate change has intensified hurricane rainfall, and now we know how much

By Julia Griffin

Hurricane Harvey wasn’t an outlier. A new study reports that climate change intensified the rains of other recent cyclones by between 4 and 9 percent.

Why ‘mega wildfires’ are happening in November

By Nsikan Akpan

What everyone needs to know about why these fires are spreading so quickly so late in the year, and how to protect your homes and businesses from them.