A corn earworm (Helicoverpa zea) larva feeding on a cotton plant Debra Ferguson/Design Pics Editorial/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Two “megapests” that are already a major problem for farmers worldwide, the cotton bollworm and the corn earworm, have interbred in Brazil and swapped genes conferring resistance to pesticides. The hybrid strains that are evolving…
Get an x-ray, and you get a small dose of radiation to visualize your bones and body structures to help you medically. Buy a smoke detector, you’re inviting a tiny source of radiation, americium-241, into your home to keep you safe. But we don’t just take on that radiation heedlessly. Until perhaps now. The U.S….
A night at the theatre could do you a world of good MIGUEL RIOPA/AFP via Getty Images Getting involved in the arts isn’t just a pleasurable pastime; it also appears to keep us healthier – and now we may know why. In the largest study of its kind, scientists have shown that engaging in creative…
Sci-fi loves a multiverse. Everyone from Rick and Morty to Spider-Man has stepped through a portal and met their alter egos. My personal favorite use of this trope comes from the sitcom Community, where a simple die roll splits our heroes into seven alternate timelines. After the inhabitants of the “darkest timeline” suffer spectacular, meme-worthy…
January 23, 2026 2 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm How zoos prepare for winter storms This weekend’s freezing temperatures and snow won’t just affect humans—zoo animals need to get ready for the coming storm, too By Jackie Flynn Mogensen edited by Claire Cameron A tiger enjoys the winter weather at the Bronx Zoo…
An artist’s impression of nanomedicine in action ALFRED PASIEKA/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY Cancer that spreads to bones can be deadly, and it also tends to be painful. Now, a drug seems to address both problems by disrupting the interplay between nerves and tumours, suggesting the approach could provide a more comfortable form of cancer therapy. “This…
When it comes to bucking the biological ails of aging, humans could learn something from Greenland sharks.
January 23, 2026 4 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm Snow? Ice? How to make sense of winter storm forecasts A major winter storm will bring frigid cold and to tens of millions this weekend, but why is it so hard to pin down who will get snow, ice or rain? By Andrea Thompson…
A young loggerhead turtle in the Caribbean Sea near the Bahamas WaterFrame/Alamy Sea turtles may be better able to cope with climate change than we had thought. Biologists are concerned that the reptiles might face extinction because warmer conditions will encourage most turtle eggs to develop into females. But it turns out the animals have…
Scientists have described a novel, yet benign bone-covered growth’s characteristics for doctors, so patients don’t receive unnecessary chemotherapy.
