Oct 10 Without human-made climate change, U.S. forest fires would be half the size By Nsikan Akpan Human-made climate change doubled forest fires over the last three decades, a new study says. Here's what people can and can't do to fight these blazes in the future. Continue reading
Oct 05 Watch 5:46 The amazing, complicated science of the Nobel winners explained By PBS News Hour A trio of scientists won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for creating some of the world’s tiniest machines. Their nanorobots use extremely controlled movements to perform tasks that the creators hope will one day be useful in the world of… Continue watching
Oct 05 World's tiniest machines win 2016 Nobel Chemistry Prize for three researchers By Nsikan Akpan Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Sir Fraser Stoddart and Bernard Feringa split the 2016 Nobel Chemistry Prize for building the world's smallest machines out of chemical molecules. Continue reading
Oct 04 Nobel physics winners defined new class of exotic matter By Nsikan Akpan The 2016 Nobel Prize in physics is shared by three scientists -- David Thouless, Duncan Haldane and Michael Kosterlitz -- for theoretical discoveries of topological phase transitions and topological phases of matter. Here's what that means. Continue reading
Oct 03 Why this Japanese scientist won a 2016 Nobel Prize in medicine for cell 'self-eating' By Nsikan Akpan Cell biologist Yoshinori Ohsumi wins the 2016 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for discoveries in autophagy. Wait, what's autophagy?… Continue reading
Sep 30 Rosetta, the first comet orbiter, shares final moments before crashing By Nsikan Akpan The Rosetta spacecraft ended its historic, 12-year cruise through the cosmos on Friday after two years of orbit around Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenk… Continue reading
Sep 28 This lab uses coffee grounds to extract lead and other toxins from water By Nsikan Akpan Though still in its prototype phase, this coffee-infused foam might clear the worst levels of lead contamination found in places like Flint, Michigan within a few hours. Continue reading
Sep 20 These genes protect resilient water bears from radiation By Nsikan Akpan Researchers in Japan sequence the genome of the world's most extreme tardigrade to unlock the secrets of its survival. Continue reading
Sep 16 Blue jeans have a 6,000 year-old Peruvian ancestor By Leigh Anne Tiffany Indigo dye for clothing is a lot older than the invention of blue jeans -- almost 6,000 years older, to be exact. The scientists behind the discovery say this blue scrap of fabric may rewrite the history of clothing. Continue reading
Sep 14 Why Charon, Pluto's largest moon, wears a red cap By Leigh Anne Tiffany Charon’s north pole has a dark red color, starkly different from its otherwise grey-white surface, and scientists have finally found out why. Continue reading