Hummingbirds thrive on an extreme lifestyle. Here’s how.
Nightly suspended animation, sugary diet, backwards flight, and long migrations help.
Bob Holmes, Knowable Magazine
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Science // Science & Exploration
Spread of deadly EEE virus explodes 5-fold in New York; one death reported
Normally only 2 or 3 counties have EEE-positive mosquitoes; there's 15 this year.
Beth Mole
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Tailwinds don’t help “everesting” cyclists
"There are no clever tricks to get around the necessary diet and exercise."
Jennifer Ouellette
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Radiation should be able to deflect asteroids as large as 4 km across
Researchers blast silica with an intense X-ray burst, watch it evaporate.
John Timmer
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NASA is ready to start buying Vulcan rockets from United Launch Alliance
The second test flight of the Vulcan rocket is scheduled for liftoff on October 4.
Stephen Clark
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For the first time, Blue Origin has ignited an orbital rocket stage
Monday's test checked an important box for Blue Origin.
Eric Berger
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Bird flu is spreading rapidly in California; infected herds double over weekend
The state reported its first infected herds on August 30.
Beth Mole
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Satellite images suggest test of Russian “super weapon” failed spectacularly
All that's left of the Russian missile silo is a big hole in the ground.
Stephen Clark
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A Chinese rocket narrowly missed a landing on Sunday—the video is amazing
Deep Blue Aerospace is just one of several Chinese companies working on vertical landing.
Eric Berger
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Vaporizing plastics recycles them into nothing but gas
Polypropylene and polyethylene can be broken down simultaneously.
Elizabeth Rayne
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NASA has a fine plan for deorbiting the ISS—unless Russia gets in the way
"If the deorbit vehicle is ready, do we go ahead and bring it home?"
Stephen Clark
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Grid-scale batteries: They’re not just lithium
When size and weight don't matter, lots of other battery chemistries can work.
Kat Friedrich
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Human cases of raccoon parasite may be your best excuse to buy a flamethrower
The infection is very rare, but it's definitely one you want to avoid.
Beth Mole
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One company appears to be thriving as part of NASA’s return to the Moon
"This has really been a transformational year for us."
Eric Berger
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Senate panel votes 20–0 for holding CEO of “health care terrorists” in contempt
After he rejected subpoena, contempt charges against de la Torre go before Senate.
Beth Mole
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CERN cuts ties with Russia, will expel hundreds of scientists by December
But Geneva-based organization will retain ties with Joint Institute for Nuclear Research.
Jennifer Ouellette
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A record of the Earth’s temperature covering half a billion years
With one exception, a strong link between carbon dioxide and global temperatures.
John Timmer
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Rocket Report: Eutelsat’s surprising decision; Europe complains about SpaceX again
"We can’t compete on price per kilo."
Eric Berger
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India approves development of reusable launcher, space station module
The Indian government has approved $2.7 billion in new spending for its space program.
Stephen Clark
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Homeopathic company refuses to recall life-threatening nasal spray, FDA says
Consumers should stop using SnoreStop, FDA says.
Beth Mole
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What’s your mathematical style?
Is your approach to math "normcore" or are you more of an xkcd character come to life?
Ben Orlin
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A handy guide to the universal language for the mathematically perplexed
Ars chats with Ben Orlin about his new book, Math for English Majors.
Jennifer Ouellette
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Robot placed under the control of a fungal overlord
A mushroom's response to environmental changes can be used to control a robot.
Jacek Krywko
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Droughts likely to be even longer in the future due to climate change
Major climate reports may be underselling the risks of rising emissions.
Bob Berwyn, Inside Climate News
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Researchers spot largest black hole jets ever discovered
The jets are 140 times larger than the Milky Way.
John Timmer
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Hawaii hikers report exploding guts as norovirus outbreak hits famous trail
First the Grand Canyon, now an eruption around the Grand Canyon of the Pacific.
Beth Mole
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A key NASA commercial partner faces severe financial challenges
"The business model had to change."
Eric Berger
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Physicists discover “hidden turbulence” throughout van Gogh’s Starry Night
Scientists measured scaling of the brush strokes to arrive at their conclusions.
Jennifer Ouellette
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Rare woolly rhino mummies emerge from the permafrost
The new finds confirm the existence of a feature seen in cave art.
Jeanne Timmons
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Google backs privately funded satellite constellation for wildfire detection
"Authorities will have high-resolution imagery that is updated globally every 20 minutes."
Stephen Clark
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Archaeologists believe this Bronze Age board game is the oldest yet found
Origins of Hounds and Jackals, aka Fifty-Eight Holes, may lie in Asia rather than Egypt.
Jennifer Ouellette
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Boar’s Head will never make liverwurst again after outbreak that killed 9
Indefinitely closed plant rated area with Listeria as "low risk" for Listeria.
Beth Mole
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Mice made transparent with a dye used in Doritos
Matching refractive indexes lets some wavelengths pass cleanly through the skin.
Jacek Krywko
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Bizarre, nine-day seismic signal caused by epic landslide in Greenland
Unidentified seismic object resulted in skyscraper-high tsunami.
Steven Hicks and Kristian Svennevig, The Conversation
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A single peptide helps starfish get rid of a limb when attacked
A signaling molecule that's so potent injected animals may drop more than one limb.
Elizabeth Rayne
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Navy captains don’t like abandoning ship—but with Starliner, the ship left them
"As the commander or pilot of your spacecraft, you don’t want to see it go off without you."
Stephen Clark
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