Van Allen belts (noun, “VAN AL-en BELTS”) Van Allen belts — or Van Allen radiation belts — are donut-shaped rings of charged particles that encircle Earth. Earth has two permanent…

Through the lens of a microscope, even a dirty windowsill can hold treasures. The rice weevil (Sitophilus oryzae) is a pest that devours grains and seeds. Seen atop a grain…

Key concepts: Weight, pressure, force, balance, center of mass Credits: Sabine De Brabandere, PhD, Science Buddies While watching the Olympic Winter Games, you might wonder why skis, which are featured…

For many trees, autumn is a spectacular grand finale. Their summer greenery gives way to a rich display of gold, crimson and even purple leaves. But those splashes of color…

In parts of Eurasia, the key to a tangy yogurt treat scurries along the forest floor. The secret ingredient is ants! Scientists Say: Fermentation A once-popular yogurt-making technique uses ants…

Blue whirl (noun, “BLOO WURL”) A blue whirl is a kind of flame that most often occurs when fuel burns while floating on the surface of water. There are many…

For the first time, scientists have 3-D printed objects within living cells. They included a mini elephant and tiny barcodes that could help track individual cells. Remarkably, many of the…

Beyond the bright swirling arms of our Milky Way galaxy, something enormous, mysterious and shadowy barrels toward us. It’s called Smith’s Cloud. And it isn’t like any cloud you’ve seen…

Sound travels in waves of vibrating air molecules that bump into each other. Microphones work by picking up these vibrations. Scientists had wondered if they could make microphones that see…