In the public’s mind, Benjamin Franklin’s scientific work has largely been reduced to this one experiment, in which Franklin demonstrated that discharges from thunderstorms are electric in nature (SN: ...

Orcas’ physiology should hamper their ability to catch whale sharks. “They have lungs,” says Pancaldi. The whale shark, with gills, can do infinite lurks and dive 2,000 meters deep, while its mammal ...

In the new study, researchers compared digital 3-D models of ancient hominid footprints and trackways to those made by people today — including Kenyan herders who rarely or never wear shoes — ...

A new study shows a steep drop in cervical cancer deaths among the first cohort of women who were eligible for the HPV vaccine.

Margaret S. Collins, the first Black American female entomologist to earn a Ph.D., overcame sexism and racism to become a termite expert.

In How to Kill an Asteroid, Robin George Andrews looks at the successes and shortcomings of planetary defense.

Molecular stress brought on by diabetes, fatty liver disease and other chronic conditions can all cause proteins to put on the brakes. Instead of zipping around the cell and bumping into each other to ...

Kidney cells can make memories too. At least, in a molecular sense. Neurons have historically been the cell most associated with memory. But far outside the brain, kidney cells can also store ...

Cave-ins and floods may have buried the Cretaceous creatures of the fossil Jehol Biota rather than volcanic eruptions, a new study claims.

Infectious diseases are often labeled “urban” or “rural.” Applying political labels to public health misses who is at risk, experts argue.

You are never too old to play — a maxim that even adult chimpanzees seem to follow. Young chimpanzees are already known to get many benefits from playing. But it seems to also be more important ...

Earth’s space junk may be wreaking havoc on the stratosphere. The rapid surge in satellite megaconstellations is connecting much of the world to broadband internet. But each year, hundreds of ...