Archaeologists have discovered the remains of at least 37 people, some likely dating from more than 1,000 years ago. A large stone “jar” in northern Laos became their last resting…

Professional surfer and scientist Cliff Kapono gets his best ideas when he’s in the ocean. “The thinking turns off, but the ideas start to pour in,” he says. To him,…

Steel rusts over time. Copper turns green. But gold stays shiny, seemingly forever. Scientists have now discovered a property that explains why gold stays spotless. Explainer: What is a metal?…

Cows belch a lot of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. But it’s not their fault. Scientists have identified a new trigger for the process. It resides in some microbes that…

Event horizon (noun, “Ee-VENT hur-AYE-zon”) An event horizon is a boundary surrounding a black hole. Beyond this boundary, nothing — not matter, energy or any kind of information — can…

When it comes to making a mess, not even the world’s crumbliest cookie would compare to a photon. Photons are fundamental particles of light. As fundamental particles, they cannot really…

Disney’s Cinderella is not the only place you can hear mice “sing.” Some real-world rodents also serenade each other. And now, scientists know how. The mice inflate tiny, balloon-like sacs…

Sometimes, pieces of Earth’s outer layer pull apart like taffy. Right now, part of Africa is being stretched to nearly the breaking point. The giant jigsaw pieces of Earth’s outer…

In X-Men, Warren Worthington III sprouts huge white wings from his back and shoots into the sky. Scientists have yet to fully turn that comic-book trick from fiction to fact.…

Corn sweat (noun, “KORN SWET”) Corn sweat is moisture released by cornfields during summer heat, particularly in the central United States. The scientific term for corn sweat is evapotranspiration. This…