Some vipers are the sprinters of snakes. Researchers compared 36 venomous snakes from three families. Vipers wielded the fastest attacks. Some members of one of the other families could give…

The distant moon Pandora from the Avatar movies is a richly immersive alien world. Dragon-like creatures prowl the skies. Supersmart whalelike beasts write poetry under the sea. Jungle plants glow…

This time of year, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” is nearly inescapable. As the song goes, Rudolph is bullied for having a nose so bright it glows (like a lightbulb!). But…

Anya Terón Villodas and Lia González are childhood friends turned science partners. The idea for their project came from Anya’s sister, who had done a science-fair project involving honeybees. Through…

New unfurling parachutes really hit the mark. Scientists were inspired by the Japanese art of kirigami, or paper cutting. They made parachutes that open automatically when dropped. And unlike typical…

Every human being starts with the fusion of two cells: an egg cell from one parent and a sperm cell from the other. But for a variety of reasons, two…

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…