Author Archives: Joanna Thompson
People, Not Google’s Algorithm, Create Their Own Partisan ‘Bubbles’ Online
Politically polarized Google users are not steered to partisan sites by the search engine’s algorithm but generally decide to go there on their own Continue reading
Posted in STEM News
Tree Roots May Have Set Off a Mass Extinction
The evolution of terrestrial plant roots could have kicked off large-scale extinctions by throwing the planet’s mineral cycle into disarray Continue reading
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Why Is It So Hard to Make Vegan Fish?
Futuristic food science technology could finally bring plant-based salmon filets and tuna steaks to the table Continue reading
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How the Moon Devastated a Mangrove Forest
In 2015 the moon’s wobble and an El Niño teamed up to kill off tens of millions of Australian mangroves Continue reading
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Geologic Activity Lets Microbes Mingle Deep Underground
Tiny subterranean cracks can upend aquifer microbes’ ecology Continue reading
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See Delicate Rib Vortices Encircle Breaking Ocean Waves
These little-studied mini twisters form beautiful loops under the water’s surface Continue reading
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Fantastic Sea Creatures Photographed Up Close and Personal
Sea angels, telescope fish and blanket octopuses can be real monsters Continue reading
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How to Recognize Heat Illness and Stay Cool during Extreme Weather
Scientists and medical experts weigh in on how to recognize the signs of heat-related illness and avoid the worst health impacts from increasingly intense heat waves Continue reading
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News Briefs from around the World: August 2022
In case you missed it Continue reading
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See the Strange Underground Detector Probing Neutrino Mysteries
The LEGEND-200 detector could help explain why matter dominates the known universe Continue reading
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‘Frog Skin’ Cell Type Found in Mammal Mouths
Salivary glands make unexpected use of tiny ionocytes, essential to frogs and fish Continue reading
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What Are Neutrinos, and How Can We Measure Their Mass?
The weirdest subatomic particles require enormous equipment to study
— Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
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Sex Life of One of Earth’s Earliest Animals Exposed
The first known male appendage from trilobites has been found in a 508-million-year-old fossil
— Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
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Kitchen Sponges Help Breed Bacteria Better
There’s a structural reason your sponge hosts so many microbes
— Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
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Largest Marsquake Ever Recorded May Be InSight’s Swan Song
NASA’s three-and-a-half-year mission to collect seismic data from Mars is running out of juice
— Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
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Physicists Find a Shortcut to Seeing an Elusive Quantum Glow
Once considered practically unseeable, a phenomenon called the Unruh effect might soon be revealed in laboratory experiments
— Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
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What Genetics Can–and Cannot–Reveal about an Individual’s COVID Risk
Genome-wide association studies can sleuth out genetic markers that raise or lower COVID risk, but they miss social factors
— Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
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AI Sommelier Generates Wine Reviews without Ever Opening a Bottle
A new algorithm writes wine and beer reviews that sound like they were penned by human critics. Is that a good thing?
— Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
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Tiny Antennas Made from DNA Light Up Protein Activity
A new method for monitoring proteins could lead to better drug development
— Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
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Cosmic Simulation Shows How Dark-Matter-Deficient Galaxies Confront Goliath and Survive
A research team finds seven tiny dwarf galaxies stripped of their dark matter that nonetheless persisted despite the theft.
— Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
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Decades of Photos Reveal Amazon Cultures Under Threat
Photographer Sebastião Salgado has spent more than two decades documenting the complex lives of Indigenous Amazonian people as they stand strong in the face of unrelenting colonial forces
— Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
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Groovy Monkey Teeth Pose a Tool-Use Mystery
Weird dental scratches in humans can indicate tool use, but in some macaques, they mean something entirely different
— Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
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Birds Make Better Bipedal Bots Than Humans Do
A new machine called BirdBot balances walking efficiency and speed
— Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
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Math in 3-D: Q&A with Abel Prize Winner Dennis Sullivan
His groundbreaking work combined the mathematical field of topology with string theory
— Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
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Artificial Neuron Snaps a Venus Flytrap Shut
Researchers say that such bio-integrated systems could be the future of prosthetics
— Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
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