Science

Ancient DNA Shares New Insights Into the Lives and Culture of Vikings

Science / 3 min. read

In popular culture and history, Vikings are contradictory figures: both raiders and traders, settlers and explorers. According to Smithsonian Magazine, these ancient Scandinavians took to the high seas, venturing to the likes of Britain, Paris, and even North America. But Vikings didn’t just affect the lands around them — it turns out they in-process were […]

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Vikingaheimar (Viking Wolrd). museum in Keflavik displaying a seaworthy replica of a magnificent Viking Ship called Islendingur.

Spontaneous Baby Movements Serve a Larger Purpose Than Previously Thought, New Study Finds

Science / 3 min. read

It starts with acrobatic kicks and somersaults while still inside the womb, and progresses after birth to a never-ending stream of wiggles, wriggles, flailing arms, and jerking legs. When they’re not sleeping, babies certainly seem to always be on the move, long before they’re actually crawling or walking. And new research coming out of the

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Your Guide to the January 2023 Night Sky — Expected to Be the “Brightest” of the Year

Science / 3 min. read

The frenzy of the holiday season has come and gone, and one great way to recalibrate in this new year is by taking a few moments to step outside and admire the expanse of the sparkling night sky overhead. The Old Farmer’s Almanac is declaring January 2023 to be “the brightest night sky of the

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Snowy view of the January night sky over snowy Carpathian Mountains

Meet the 12-Year-Old Who Invented an Edible Water Bottle: “My Biggest Inspiration Was Wanting to Help the World”

Science / 3 min. read

Across the world, humans purchase around 1.3 billion single-use plastic water bottles a day. Because only about 9% of plastic is recycled, the vast majority of those bottles — 22 billion a year by some estimates — wind up in landfills, the ocean, or elsewhere in nature. When beach-loving Madison Checketts began noticing many of those

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Madison Checketts stands in front of her poster board presentation of her edible water bottle

Children Learn More Efficiently Than Adults, Study Finds: Here’s Why

Science / 3 min. read

It’s often said that children’s brains are like sponges, due to their ability to rapidly and easily absorb large quantities of information. A new study, led by Takeo Watanabe of Brown University, has now identified how and why children so effortlessly outpace adults when it comes to their capacity for learning a lot in a

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Elementary teacher and her students using laptop during computer class at school.

First Human Genome of a Pompeii Resident Sheds Light on Ancient City’s Inhabitants

Science / 3 min. read

When Mount Vesuvius erupted in A.D. 79, the citizens of Pompeii took the secrets of their lives and what happened that tragic day to their graves. But a team of researchers from Denmark and Italy has been able to find answers in extracted DNA from the bones of a man and a woman who lived

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“America’s Top Young Scientist”: 14-Year-Old Creates Low-Cost Headphones to Treat Ear Infections

Science / 3 min. read

On October 19, 3M and Discovery Education crowned the first place winner of the 2022 3M Young Scientist Challenge: an annual competition that’s been awarding middle school science enthusiasts for their creative problem-solving for the past 15 years. This year, Leanne Fan from San Diego, California, took home the grand prize with her innovative approach

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Gene Identified as a Possible Target in Fatal, Treatment-Resistant Brain Cancer

Health, Science / 3 min. read

A team of researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has identified a gene that plays a key role in the growth of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), a rare and lethal brain cancer that has no known cure. The new research suggests that focusing on this gene, called P300, could help provide a therapeutic target

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Shot of a doctor using a digital tablet to discuss a brain scan during a consultation in her office

Meet Conan the Bacterium: The Ancient Species That Could Be Slumbering Deep Beneath Mars’ Surface

Science / 3 min. read

Billions of years ago, Mars may have been teeming with life. But these days, with its dry, arid landscape, ionizing radiation, and temperatures averaging negative 80 degrees Fahrenheit, the red planet is no longer habitable. However, a new paper published in Astrobiology suggests a certain type of bacteria might have endured the planet’s harsh environment

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a microscope slide shows a sample of Conan the Bacterium

Sleeping Soundly: Scientists Find a New Way to Reduce Recurring Nightmares

Health, Science / 2 min. read

We know that certain sounds can improve our overall mood when we’re conscious — but what about when we’re asleep? A recent study out of Switzerland suggests that specific frequencies played while sleeping can reduce the chance of nightmares. It isn’t the sound specifically that may prevent unpleasant dreams, but instead a form of emotional

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