Power outages hit some communities harder and more often, study says
Power outages cluster in the Northeast, South and Appalachia, and have significant potential health effects in vulnerable communities, an analysis finds.
By Erin BlakemoreOfficers rushed to help a crying ‘damsel in distress.’ It was a goat.
What seemed like a person in distress prompted a police response in Enid, Okla. But it wasn’t a human crying out for help — it was a goat.
By María Luisa PaúlSupreme Court upholds California law on humane pork sales
Proposition 12 bans selling products derived from sows that don't have at least 24 square feet of space and the ability to stand up and turn around in their pens.
By Robert BarnesScientists sent balloons into the stratosphere — and found a mystery
Researchers sent solar-powered balloons up 70,000 feet and detected a hidden acoustic world – including staticky, whispering noises without a known origin.
By Carolyn Y. JohnsonIs the sun white or yellow? It’s a hot debate, and everyone’s wrong.
A Twitter post left people divided over the sun's color. We asked scientists to weigh in.
By María Luisa PaúlA new, more diverse human genome offers hope for rare genetic diseases
The first pangenome is based on the full genetic blueprints of 47 people from around the world.
By Mark JohnsonHow do Yellowstone’s seismic vibrations sound on the flute? Oddly beautiful.
Physicist Domenico Vicinanza used software to convert Yellowstone's seismic data into sheet music. The sharper the shake, the more dramatic the melody.
By Leo SandsOne butterfly to rule them all? Scientists introduce the world to Saurona.
The Saurona butterflies have dark eye-like patches on their orange wings. Scientists named them after the Lord of the Rings villain to raise awareness about endangered species.
By Annabelle TimsitDoctors found the world’s smallest skin cancer spot: A woman’s tiny mole
Alexander Witkowski, an Oregon dermatologist, found a 0.65 millimeter mole – the world's smallest skin cancer spot – under Christy Staats’s eye.
By Kyle MelnickSongbirds, dusk and clear skies: Scientists explore migratory flights
Two studies used radio tracking devices on nearly 400 songbirds, including the yellow-rumped warbler, American redstart and Bicknell’s thrush.
By Erin BlakemoreNASA goes full throttle on Mars, but hits speed bumps on road to Venus
At the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, leadership is steering this storied institution through an unusually rocky period
By Joel AchenbachScientists discover ‘spectacular’ undersea hydrothermal vents
The expedition used a variety of mapping techniques to find the vents, along with a remotely operated vehicle called SuBastian.
By Erin BlakemoreA new era for treating sickle cell disease could spark a health-care revolution
The first gene therapies for this debilitating disease will be reviewed by regulators this year.
By Carolyn Y. JohnsonGene-edited cells move science closer to repairing damaged hearts
New research offers a path toward transplants that can fix damage from a heart attack without causing life-threatening arrhythmias.
By Mark JohnsonVideo calls can spark joy. That’s true for parrots, too, study finds.
A new study found that pet parrots enjoy video calling each other, providing them a sense of community.
By Kyle MelnickWant to listen to space noise? NASA wants to hear from you.
When the solar wind and plasma from coronal ejections strike Earth’s magnetic field lines, our invisible shield vibrates like the strings of a harp.
By Erin BlakemoreMicroscopic worms also get the munchies from weed, study finds
University of Oregon researchers found that C. elegan worms swarm to high-calorie foods when exposed to a cannabinoid molecule.
By Kyle MelnickVirginia expects largest oyster harvest in three decades
After years of careful management of harvests to allow for spawning, Virginia officials expect the largest commercial harvest of oysters in 30 years.
By Dana HedgpethScientists crack the mystery of elephant seals’ extreme sleep habits
Scientists fastened neoprene caps wired with sensors to seals' heads and discovered that they catch 20-minute catnaps underwater when foraging for food.
By Carolyn Y. JohnsonDead birds are flying again — this time, as drones
Mostafa Hassanalian, an engineering professor at a New Mexico college, is using drone technology to enable taxidermied birds to fly.
By Kyle Melnick