Imagine seeing cake in a video game — then tasting it. Researchers have taken a step toward that possibility. They’ve created a device that delivers virtual flavors by squirting chemicals…
Circumnutation (noun, Sir-kum-noo-TAY-shun) Circumnutation describes the slow, circular movements the growing tips of young plants make throughout the day. Although it usually can’t be seen with the naked eye, all…
Cheetahs sprint across the savanna. Impalas, antelopes and other prey gallop away. All these creatures were built for speed. In fact, mid-sized land animals are generally faster than huge or…
Annalisa Stevenson loves soil. Most of us ignore it as dirt. But soil is “literally the foundation of life,” notes this Ph.D. student at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She considers…
A round of applause, please. Scientists have finally figured out what’s behind the sound of hand-clapping. It’s the same concept at work when you make sound by blowing across the…
AbstractHave you ever noticed that animals living in groups tend to work together? For example, African elephants typically walk in a line for safety and follow the age and experience…
In fourth grade, Logan Lee’s class took a trip to the island of Hawaii. There, they saw an i’iwi, a native Hawaiian forest bird. Logan was in awe. The bird…
Vitamin (noun, “VITE-ah-men”) Vitamins are carbon-containing chemicals that living things must consume in small amounts to live. Our body can create many molecules crucial for life. DNA is one example.…
Researchers have stumbled upon one of nature’s weirder disguises — fly larvae with butts that mimic termite faces. Features on their rear end look like a termite’s antennae, eyes and…