Michelle Gaines’ hair naturally curls into tight coils. Keeping it neat and healthy has proven a challenge for this busy polymer chemist. She’s read all those product promises and watched…

Dandruff flakes on your hair or shoulders don’t look good. The itchy scalp that comes with it is no fun, either. In fact, although dandruff shows up on your hair,…

For the first time, scientists have measured a long-sought global electric field in Earth’s atmosphere. This ambipolar electric field had been predicted to exist decades ago. But it had never…

Insects already have plenty to beware when it comes to carnivorous plants. But now, they can add an acid-loving fungus to the list. The fungus works with a type of…

A new study hints at how skateboarders can up their half-pipe game — using math. Tricks like kickflips and ollies require speed. As skateboarders roll along a U-shaped ramp called…

Quantum dot (noun, “KWAHN-tum DAHT”) Quantum dots are teeny tiny crystals. They’re often made of semiconductors — materials that partially conduct electricity. Each quantum dot is mere billionths of a…

Sometimes, fireflies shouldn’t follow the light. Especially when the web of an orb weaver spider is nearby. Orb weaver spiders (Araneus ventricosus) can use trapped fireflies to lure in more…

The moon is Earth’s longtime companion. A bright full moon can light a path through the dark of night. It’s long been important for navigation and marking the passage of…

In 2013, Ning Zeng came across a very old, very important log. At the time, he and his colleagues were digging a trench in the Canadian province of Quebec. They…

Yash Mehta, 14, got the idea for his first science fair project on a trip to Old Delhi, India. There, he visited a school for blind students. Yash noticed that…