Symmetry (noun, “SIM-meh-tree”) A shape with symmetry has parts that match each other in some way. Imagine cutting a heart from a piece of paper. To ensure the two halves…

Chocolate-chip sea stars are famous for the rows of dark, pointy bumps that cover each of their arms. The animals really look like they’re dotted with chocolate chips. But what’s…

A newly discovered cosmic object is unlike any seen before. It’s not a planet. It’s not a moon, either. It’s a third thing we don’t have a name for yet.…

The morning of October 29, 2020, was cool and clear in Nazaré. This coastal town in Portugal is famous for its beaches and vibrant nightlife. It’s also known for its…

The seeing world is dominated with eyes that come in sets of two or more. But single-eyed oddities have long had a place in the animal kingdom — and our…

Frozen, ice-age squirrel poop doesn’t stink. At least not at first. But that changes if it warms. As it thaws, the smell shows fecal pellets are not just stony fossils.…

When Ronald Gamble first learned about black holes as a teen, he read as much as he could about them. But he noticed that researchers still had much to learn about how they worked. “The mystery of…

Midden (noun, “MID-den”) A midden is a garbage pile or dump site left by ancient people. This word also describes a pile of items gathered by an animal. Old trash…

A cave in Africa seems to host the oldest known traces of humans using fire. Burnt remnants of animal bones hint that groups of Homo erectus used fires here as long…