Metal expands when heated. What does that mean for railroads?
Hans Goldschmidt discovered that metal oxides, such as rust, react with aluminum powder to produce pure liquid metal,…
The Science of Glue
Cyanoacrylate, the main ingredient in super glue, forms long polymer chains when exposed to moisture, allowing it to…
What’s an “Atomic Trampoline?”
A unique metallic glass called amorphous metal made a simple-looking disk astonishingly bouncy, leading NileRed to investigate its…
Creating Robots the Size of Insects
Scientists are developing insect-sized robots capable of flying, swimming, and jumping on water, mimicking natural mechanisms to navigate…
New “Zombie” Fungus Discovered in British Caves, Manipulating Spider Behavior
At a Glance A newly discovered species of fungus, Gibellula attenboroughii, has been found to infect cave-dwelling spiders…
LLMs, Explained
Large language models predict the next word in a sequence by analyzing vast amounts of text data and…
PCR Was Invented Under the Strangest Circumstances
Kary Mullis’ invention of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) stemmed from a mix of creative thinking and automation,…
Did Asteroids Seed Life?
Early Earth experienced violent asteroid impacts that vaporized oceans and altered the atmosphere, potentially creating conditions necessary for…
The Surprising Usefulness of Insectoid Robots
Scientists are creating microrobots that mimic the abilities of insects, such as swimming, flying, and walking on water,…
Study: Atlantic Ocean’s Key Current System Hasn’t Weakened in 60 Years
At a Glance A new study on the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) challenges previous predictions about the…