Bananas Are Scientifically Berries, but Strawberries Are Not — Here Is Why
The fruits you call berries are probably not berries at all, and the ones you would never guess actually are. Plant scientists have a very specific definition, and it changes everything.
Earth's Core Is as Hot as the Sun's Surface — Here's How Scientists Know
Nobody has ever visited Earth's core, yet scientists have figured out it reaches temperatures of up to 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The clever techniques they used to discover this are just as fascinating as the discovery itself.
Scientists Solved the Mystery of Where Potatoes Actually Came From
A new genetic study reveals that potatoes were born from an ancient hybridization event between the ancestors of tomatoes and a lesser-known South American plant group — and it happened nearly 9 million years ago.
Scientists Discover That Echidnas Evolved from a Water-Dwelling Ancestor
A 108-million-year-old arm bone is rewriting everything scientists thought they knew about how echidnas — spiny, egg-laying mammals — came to live on land.
MOXIE Made Oxygen on Mars — Here Is Why That Small Machine Is a Giant Deal
A microwave-sized device aboard NASA's Perseverance rover spent two years quietly making breathable air on Mars, proving a technology that could one day bring astronauts home from the red planet.
Spinning Black Holes Might Actually Send Messages Back in Time
A new study inspired by the film Interstellar explores how information could travel backward through time using exotic loops in spacetime near spinning black holes. The physics is real, even if the idea feels like science fiction.
Zebra Finches Sing a Heat Warning to Their Chicks Before They Hatch
Before zebra finch chicks even crack their shells, a parent's special song is already changing the way their brains will handle hot weather for the rest of their lives.
Rice Does Something Weird Under Pressure, and Scientists Built a Smart Material From It
Scientists found that rice grains get weaker when hit fast and stronger when pressed slowly — the opposite of most materials. Now they've used that quirk to engineer a material that adapts on its own.
Scientists Engineered a Giant Fire Whirl to Fight Oil Spills — and It Actually Works
A Texas A&M research team built a controlled 17-foot fire tornado and discovered it burns oil nearly twice as fast as traditional methods, with far less pollution. Could spinning fire be the future of ocean cleanup?
Ancient Giant Scorpion Hiding in a Museum for 150 Years Turns Out to Be Earth's Biggest
A fossil stored in London's Natural History Museum for over 150 years has been confirmed as the largest scorpion ever to walk the Earth — and it was nearly three feet long.
Jian changmaensis: The Four-Winged Dinosaur That May Have Hunted Ancient Birds Like a Gliding Predator
Scientists have identified a new dinosaur species related to Velociraptor that likely used four feathered limbs to glide — and it may be the long-sought predator behind mysterious crushed bird-bone clusters found in China.
Dogs Have Been Eating Grass Forever, and Science Says That Is Completely Fine
Forget the upset-stomach theory — researchers have found that most dogs graze on grass because they simply enjoy it, and the habit may go back to their wild ancestors.