March 14, 2025
Fungal networks in the ground ferry crucial nutrients to plants. How do brainless organisms form complex supply chain networks? Plus, in this year’s baseball spring training, the new Automated Ball-Strike System is helping settle challenges to home plate pitch calls. And, the evolving science of how childhood trauma shapes adults.
The World Remembers Neil Armstrong
A goodbye to Neil Armstrong: Pilot, pioneer, and the first person to walk on the Moon.
Unwinding the Cucumber Tendril Mystery
Plants may be stationary, but they’re rarely still, says biologist Roger Hangarter, creator of the website Plants in Motion.
Curiosity Rover Zaps a Rock, Starts to Roll
The rover is on its way to Glenelg, an area where scientists hope to drill into bedrock.
Tree Rings Tell Tales of Ancient Fires and Climate
Are the movements of wildfires as predictable as the weather? And does climate change cause bigger, hotter blazes?
Mapping the Birthplace of Modern Languages
Scientists have traced the roots of languages like English and Spanish back to present-day Turkey.
‘Carbon Nation’ Tackles Climate Change, By Ignoring It
‘Carbon Nation’ bills itself as a ‘climate change solutions movie, that doesn’t even care if you believe in climate change.’
David Eagleman Gets Inside Our Heads
Neuroscientist David Eagleman exposes our unconscious minds in his latest book Incognito.
Science of Good Dancing
Evolutionary psychologist Nick Neave filmed men dancing, converted the videos into dancing avatars and asked women to rate the avatars’ dancing ability.
Some Docs Doubt Blood Type, Heart Disease Link
A study links type O blood with a lower risk of heart disease—but not all docs agree.
Aging City Pipes in Need of a Plumber’s Touch
Water travels to city dwellers by way of old, leaky pipes that are tricky to replace.
Solar Toilet Disinfects Waste, Makes Hydrogen Fuel
Caltech’s solar toilet took top prize in the Reinvent the Toilet Challenge.
Working Towards a Universal Flu Vaccine
Vaccine researcher Gary Nabel discusses the ongoing quest to develop a universal flu vaccine.
Actress Danica McKellar Helps “Girls Get Curves”
Actress and math education advocate Danica McKellar tackles geometry in her latest book.
Massive “Phoenix Cluster” Supersizes Star Creation
Astronomers have found a massive galaxy cluster that’s making stars at a record pace.
Arbiter of ‘Interestingness’ Navigates the ‘Net
Internet “curator” Maria Popova describes her brand of “combinatorial creativity.”
Poop and Paddle
This toilet floats. It’s an outhouse and sewage-treatment plant in one.
Attacking Alzheimer’s with Antibodies, Hormones
Researchers are using an arsenal of techniques to cure Alzheimer’s, some with disappointing results.
Amidst Rocky Peaks, Physicists Ponder the Universe
The Aspen Center for Physics, a mountain retreat for theoretical physicists, turns 50 this year.
Catching Up with Tom Swift a Century Later
A look back at the fictional boy inventor and his 100 year legacy.
With ‘Terror’ in the Past, Mars Scientists Plan for Exploration Ahead
Mars Science Laboratory project scientist John Grotzinger describes plans for the Curiosity rover, now in Gale Crater on Mars.