SCIENCE

Katherine Johnson, the NASA Legend Who Inspired 'Hidden Figures,' Dies at Age 101

Katherine Johnson—the mathematician known for calculating the equations that sent the first astronauts to the moon and breaking barriers in the civil rights era, as seen in 'Hidden Figures'—died the morning of Monday, February 24, 2020 NASA has announced.

Drone image above the H.M.S. Erebus shipwreck.

More Than 350 Franklin Expedition Artifacts Retrieved from Shipwreck of HMS Erebus

A pair of epaulets, a pencil case, and a glass decanter were found at the Arctic shipwreck, which continues to reveal clues to the fate of the doomed 19th century expedition.

This woman's tooth pain is actually helping her avoid further damage.

The Reason Our Teeth Are So Sensitive to Pain

If your tooth enamel is worn down, the path is clear for your sensitive tooth to feel pain like no other.

NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute/Roman Tkachenko

Arrokoth, the Farthest, Oldest Solar System Object Ever Studied, Could Reveal the Origins of Planets

Located past Pluto, the ultrared binary object Arrokoth is the farthest and oldest body ever studied up close. Data collected by NASA's New Horizons mission reveals insights about its formation and the origins of the solar system.

Take a break from stargazing to watch the moon swallow Mars on February 18.

The Moon Will Make Mars Disappear Next Week

Take a break from your regularly scheduled stargazing to watch the moon swallow Mars on Tuesday morning.

Bychykhin_Olexandr/iStock via Getty Images

Why Is There a Leap Day?

Happy leap year! You can thank Julius Caesar and his buddies for bringing them to Europe more than 2000 years ago.

This is how Bernadette Sheridan, who has grapheme-color synesthesia, sees the name Aiden.

New Website Shows You What Synesthesia Looks Like

Among the many types of synesthesia is grapheme-color, where people often perceive letters in color blocks.

Nikolaeva Elena, iStock via Getty Images

Good News/Bad News, Internet: Your Broom Will Stand Up on Its Own Any Day of the Year

The viral images of brooms standing on their own are real, but the story that they can only balance like that on one day are false.

10 Steamy Facts About Old Faithful

Old Faithful isn't as predictable as it used to be, but geologists in Yellowstone National Park can still time its eruptions pretty accurately.

Does Wearing a Face Mask Really Help Protect Against Coronavirus and Other Illnesses?

Masks have become a part of daily life for millions in response to the spread of coronavirus. But can they really lessen the spread of disease?

Tatiana Adrianova/iStock via Getty Images

What Happens to Mosquitoes in the Winter?

These nuisance creatures have a system for braving the cold so they can emerge in the spring and get back to the business of slurping up your blood.

Super High-Resolution Photo of the Sun Reveals It Looks Like ... Corn

A solar telescope has captured the highest-resolution image of the Sun's surface ever taken, and it looks like the inside of a Cracker Jack bag.

Deefaze, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 4.0

Félicette, the First Cat in Space, Finally Has a Proper Memorial in Strasbourg, France

Six decades after Félicette became the first cat to travel to space and the only cat to return alive, the history-making feline has received her own memorial.

Mount Vesuvius's Volcanic Eruption Turned One Victim's Brain into Glass

It's just one of several horrors that befell victims in Pompeii and Herculaneum when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 CE.

Here’s What You Need to Know About the New Coronavirus

The outbreak started in Wuhan, China, and now five cases have been confirmed in the U.S. Here are the details.

Has An Element Ever Been Removed From the Periodic Table?

The short answer is: yes, elements have been removed from the periodic table. The longer answer is that what constitutes an 'element' can be complicated.

One of the World’s Most Dangerous Spiders Could Invade Homes after Australia's Recent Rainfall

The venom of the Sydney funnel web spider can kill in as little as 15 minutes. And they might be lurking in Australian residents' shoes or laundry.

Human Body Temperatures Are Dropping, and Science Might Know Why

The 98.6°F human body temperature may no longer be the standard. Scientists point to a marked decrease in inflammation.

Marina Denisenko, iStock via Getty Images

Last Wild Grove of Wollemi Pines, the Endangered ‘Dinosaur Trees,’ Saved From Australia's Wildfires

Wollemi pines have lived on Earth for 200 million years. And without quick action from firefighters, the species' last wild population would have been wiped out for good by wildfires in Australia.

You Should Never Put Batteries In Your ‘Junk’ Drawer. Here’s Why

Loose batteries—especially 9-volt batteries—can become a fire hazard in the catch-all chaos of a junk drawer.

Not-So-Fancy Feast: Your Cat Probably Would Eat Your Rotting Corpse

The idea of cats devouring their dead owners is no urban legend. A new paper documented these savage creatures dining out on human flesh.

Wolf Puppies Play Fetch, Too, Study Finds

Some wolf puppies will retrieve balls for perfect strangers, suggesting that the species may be genetically predisposed toward the adorable behavior.

Good Moos: Science Says Cows Have Unique Voices

Bovine vocalization isn't just random bleating. New research suggests that cows can be identified by their individual moos.

NASA/JPL-Caltech/Harvard-Smithsonian CfA

Stardust Created 7 Billion Years Ago Is the Oldest Stuff on Earth

A meteorite that landed in Australia in 1969 contains stardust that formed up to 7 billion years ago—making it older than the Earth or the sun.

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