Coal Vent Bacteria
Scientists discover useful biomedical compounds above a smoldering inferno.
Crowd-sourcing Better Tomatoes
Researchers turn to panels of taste testers to identify key flavor chemicals lost during the past 100 years of commercial tomato breeding.
Plant Drug Factories
Stressing out plant cells can coax them into revealing medically-useful chemistry.
Deep Diamonds
The world’s biggest diamonds are helping scientists uncover the secrets of earth’s deep mantle.
Designer Cement
What microscopic crystalline shapes yield the strongest, most durable cement?
Carbon Monoxide Antidote
Researchers develop the first fast-acting antidote for carbon monoxide poisoning.
Artificial Dog Nose
Researchers reverse engineer one of nature’s greatest sniffers.
Transdermal Drug Delivery
Cold plasma may open up the skin to no-needle drug delivery.
Ivory Forensics
Chemical analysis of poached ivory reveals that elephant slaughter is massive and recent.
Genetically Modified Odors
Scientists modify microbes to produce some unusual fragrances.
Raindrop Fossils
Raindrop impressions, preserved for 2.7 billion years, reveal clues about the early Earth's climate.
Tooth Enamel
A 3D map of the structure of tooth enamel may help scientists protect it, and even imitate it.
Fungi Battery Recycling
Developing fungi that help to recycle old batteries.
Tree Ring Clocks
Spikes in radiation caused by historic solar flares could help archaeologists precisely date ancient events.
Cold Organic Molecules
Scientists propose a chilly start to the molecules that form the basis of all life.
Helium Reserves
A new discovery in Africa may ease concerns about a global helium shortage.
Better Shampoo Bottles
Materials scientists develop a way to easily remove excess shampoo, conditioner, and laundry detergent from plastic bottles.
Glowing Slime
Glowing blue slime from the sea could be useful in biomedical research.
Pluto’s Surfaces
New research reveals that frozen nitrogen flows across the surface of Pluto.
Cactus Water Filter
The drought-defying interior of the prickly pear cactus holds a secret to purifying water.
Pluto’s Big Discoveries
A trickle of data from the New Horizons spacecraft is building into a flood of new findings.
Tomato Power
Scientists are isolating and synthesizing the chemical compounds that make hops bitter, and studying their medicinal properties.
Insect Wings & Vision
Futuristic eye implants could fight microbes with structures that mimic the bacteria busting wings of insects.