A large solar storm could knock out the power grid and the internet – an electrical engineer explains how

On Sept. 1 and 2, 1859, telegraph systems around the world failed catastrophically. The operators of the telegraphs reported receiving electrical shocks, telegraph paper catching fire,...

AI maps psychedelic ‘trip’ experiences to regions of the brain – opening new route to psychiatric treatments

For the past several decades, psychedelics have been widely stigmatized as dangerous illegal drugs. But a recent surge of academic research into their use to treat...

Guns, not roses – here’s the true story of penicillin’s first patient

Albert Alexander was dying. World War II was raging, and this police officer of the county of Oxford, England, had developed a severe case of sepsis...

Organs from genetically engineered pigs may help shorten the transplant wait list

Demand for life-saving organ transplantation is at an all-time high. In 2021, a record 41,000-plus organ transplants were performed in the U.S., with top numbers for...

Lungs have their own microbiome – and these microbes affect the success of bone marrow transplants in kids

The microorganisms deep in your lungs may play an important role in your overall lung health. And for children undergoing bone marrow transplants, measuring the microbes...

The sex of your cells matters when it comes to heart disease

Most mammals, including humans, have two sex chromosomes, X and Y. One sex chromosome is usually inherited from each parent, and they pair up as either...

Women’s History Month: 5 groundbreaking researchers who mapped the ocean floor, tested atomic theories, vanquished malaria and more

Data from thousands of surveillance cameras confirms that protected areas safeguard species diversity

We have entered what some scientists refer to as Earth’s sixth major extinction. Human disturbances, such as over-harvesting of crops, habitat destruction and invasive species, are...

The insect brain: we froze ants and beetles to learn how they remember their way home

We humans are versatile and accomplished navigators, but insects might have navigation skills that are even better. For them, it’s literally a matter of life and...

Children struggle more than adults to recognize masked faces

Face perception is one of the most important visual abilities for humans. A quick glance at a person’s face provides us with rich and socially relevant...