Proteins are made of building blocks known as amino acids. Human proteins are made of various combinations of 20 of these. A diet especially rich in one of them —…

Antimatter (noun, “AN-tee-MAT-ter”) Antimatter is made of antiparticles. Think of antiparticles like partners of ordinary particles, but with the opposite properties. You’ve likely heard of protons, neutrons and electrons. These…

Our sweets cravings may have set the stage for the human brain to become big and powerful. That’s the finding of a new study. The brains of our upright-walking ancestors,…

One of Earth’s most vital ocean currents is rapidly weakening. The cause: global warming. A collapse of this current could send devastating ripples through the planet’s climate. The current is…

Earth has frozen over in the past — at least five times. Science fiction is full of takes about how it might happen again and the implications of a modern…

Orcas have been known to slap around stingrays, punt seals into the air and otherwise play with their food. But orcas, or killer whales, don’t just toy with live prey.…

Every time someone attempts to create an unbreakable password or send a private message, they must trust a number. That number is supposed to be one that a computer has…

Mammal (noun, “MAM-mal”) Mammals are a diverse group of animals. They include about 6,600 known, living species. Many of them, including humans, cats and dogs, live on land. Others, such…

There are some skills that people think set us apart from other animals. These usually include language, tool use or the ability to do some types of math. But at…