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Yum! Flies swarm to a flower that smells like wounded ants

A Japanese flower lures in pollinators with a strange perfume, new research finds. The weird scent belongs to Vincetoxicum nakaianum. It’s one of the flower species known as Japanese dogsbane.…

Everyone experiences malicious joy now and then

If you ever laugh when someone trips or drops their lunch tray, it may feel a little cruel — and it is. But like anger, sympathy or regret, that jolt…

How does your brain know which food made you sick?

Abstract Sometimes food makes you feel sick long after you eat it. But how does your brain know which food caused the problem? We wanted to find out. We studied…

Chatbots may make learning feel easy — but it’s shallow

When learning something new, old-fashioned Googling might be a smarter move than asking ChatGPT, a new study finds. Large language models, or LLMs, are artificial intelligence systems that power chatbots…

Let’s learn about viruses

Viruses are tiny hijackers. These germs are simple microbes. Each one is just a set of genetic instructions — either DNA or RNA — inside a protein pouch. Unlike living…

Is it possible to be invisible?

In The Incredibles, Violet Parr is a lot like other teenagers. She has embarrassing parents, a troublesome little brother and a crush so intense it makes her want to disappear.…

RNA from mummified woolly mammoth is the oldest ever recovered

In its final moments, Yuka the woolly mammoth may have been trying to outrun a cave lion. That’s the conclusion of scientists who have just studied some of its genetic…

Scientists Say: Haboob

Haboob (noun, “huh-BOOB”) A haboob is a kind of dust storm. When a thunderstorm occurs in the desert, a haboob might form. These storms look like huge, sandy walls as…

Energy may seem to disappear, but there’s a law against that

A bouncing ball eventually will roll to a stop. After a long day of scrolling, a phone battery will die. Eventually, every campfire will burn out. In each case, it…

Radioactive animals don’t glow — but do show the power of radiation

In comic books and movies, radiation can be a source of superpowers. The bite of a radioactive spider turned Peter Parker into Spider-Man, allowing him to spin webs and swing…