Discharge (noun or verb, “DIS-charge”) Discharge is the release of something, matter or energy. The word can refer to the stuff being emitted. Or it can describe the action of…

In a galaxy far, far away, two lightsabers are buzzing with energy. In this face-off, a pair of enemies are swinging these weapons toward one another. As their blades clash, tiny sparks fly off.   Star Wars lightsabers are perhaps the coolest gadgets in…

Life in the fast lane may call to mind sprinting cheetahs and diving falcons. But there are plenty of speed demons barely visible to the naked eye. Some of the…

The people of Sarekha Khurd have grown rice for longer than they can remember. A few hundred families live in this village in north-central India. Trees separate their little fields,…

Most spiders wait for insects to wander into their webs. Some spiders instead fling their webs at prey. Called net-casting spiders, they need extra-sturdy webs. Now, a close look at…

Floral designs on pottery made almost 8,000 years ago may be more than just art. They appear to be the earliest evidence of math-based thinking. The designs appear on pottery…

Venus is sometimes known as Earth’s evil twin — and boy, oh boy, does it earn the nickname. This second planet from the sun has roughly the same size and…

You wouldn’t know this teensy speck was a robot if you saw it. At less than a millimeter across, you might not notice it at all. But the itty-bitty machine…

Cave popcorn (noun, “kayv POP-korn”) Cave popcorn is a kind of cave formation. These knobby clusters of minerals decorate cave walls and ceilings. They can also cover other cave formations,…