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New England supports only one species of rattlesnake: the timber rattlesnake. This is the only species of rattlesnake that can survive in the mountainous, very cold region of this far north, and yet, it faces many threats, caused by the destruction of habitats and human activities. Growing from 3 to 5 feet in length, timber … Read more
A hundred years ago, Albert Einstein predicted that massive objects in orbit would send small spirals into space themselves and gradually line up together. Astronomers are now watching that process happen, step by step, in dying stars about 4,000 light-years from Earth. Their slow collision is not just cosmic drama. It gives scientists the clearest … Read more
Try to bend a piece of glass, and it may break. But what if it were possible to create a different, stronger type of glass? Researchers at the University of Oregon conducted physics experiments and developed a mathematical solution to create what they call “perfect glass.” That is, glass is made of molecules packed as … Read more
It was only a few months after moving from Louisville to Middletown, Ohio, four years ago when six-year-old Vivian Adams’ asthma worsened. He says: “My daughter was born prematurely so she already had lung problems.[but] it has gotten worse. He is always sick and coughing and can’t breathe. He had to take his daily medication … Read more
Our preferences are ingrained traits that have developed over time. We are learning about our closest cousins to better understand ourselves. A recent article described how chimpanzees prefer crystals to ordinary rocks. But science has struggled to understand why, until now. By studying chimpanzees and monkeys, we reveal a few secrets about ourselves. What makes … Read more
This is a guest opinion column This saying goes: “If you want it to rain, go wash your car.” Instead, I am writing an article about drought. As the Alabama State Climatologist, I provide expert input for Alabama on the weekly US Drought Monitor, working closely with the Office of Water Resources (ADECA OWR) and … Read more
Light usually travels in straight paths, but what if it was twisted, spun, and behaved like a mini-tornado? Scientists have now made this possible by creating optical vortices—small swirling particles of light in a microscopic system. Until now, generating such complex light systems required multiple setups or complex nanostructures, making it difficult to scale. A … Read more
Drexel University researchers have found that water can break down like solids under certain conditions. In a discovery that could revolutionize our understanding of fluid mechanics, it now appears that viscous fluids can suddenly break when stretched with sufficient force. Unlike solids, which will stretch and eventually break, water has never been believed to have … Read more
Rapid warming in the Arctic is changing sea ice in ways that directly affect bears, the region’s top predators. Ice now forms later, melts earlier, and provides a more unstable habitat than it did decades ago. For polar bears, this change disrupts almost every aspect of life, from hunting to movement to reproduction. … Read more
See larger ones. | The Perseverance rover captured this view as it zoomed up to the rim of Jezero Crater on December 5, 2024. The rover has now found rubies on Mars, or perhaps sapphires, small pebbles outside the crater rim. Image still from video by NASA/ JPL-Caltech/ ASU/ MSSS. NASA’s Perseverance rover has found … Read more