Researchers have heard orangutans make the noise after the danger has passed—a sign that they’re communicating about the past, and the first evidence that primates other than humans have that ability.

Making an egg-cellent cake

4 days ago 2m

Craving dessert? Today’s episode considers some particularly sweet science: the importance of eggs for baking a cake.

Giving a gull a break

7 days ago 2m

It’s a tough world out there, so really, what’s a gull to do?

It's not just the heat, it's the humidity

8 days ago 2m

If the air temperature gets close to our body temperature, something more is needed to keep the skin cooler than the inner body. We sweat.

Coprophagy keeps birds healthy

9 days ago 2m

By human standards, some animals’ eating habits are strange, and even disgusting. One example is coprophagy—eating poop.

How to see what soap does to water

10 days ago 2m

Water molecules attract each other. The molecules at the surface of a body of water make a film under tension. That film is strong enough to support a needle or a small insect like a water strider.

Your friendly Amazonian slingshot spider

11 days ago 2m

Researchers reported that they discovered a tiny spider in the Peruvian Amazon rain forest that has a behavior that’s surprisingly similar to the web-slinging superhero.

Reflecting on how others see you

14 days ago 2m

One mirror is not enough to see yourself as others see you. When you look at a bathroom mirror you see an image of yourself with left and right reversed.

The fault that runs through Scotland

15 days ago 2m

If you look at a map of Scotland, you may notice a line cutting straight through the country. This line, called the Great Glen Fault, is the result of a long geological history that has in turn impacted the history of Scotland itself.

Why does cotton wrinkle?

16 days ago 2m

A cool, dry cotton fiber springs back after being bent. A warm, damp cotton fiber doesn't. Moisture and temperature make the difference.

A tarantula with the blues

17 days ago 2m

Blue jays, poison dart frogs, and peacocks—each of these animals is distinct for their same vibrant color. But have you ever seen a blue spider?

When is yellow really yellow?

18 days ago 2m 2s

Why a mix of red light and green light looks yellow, in this Moment of Science.

Male mammals aren't always bigger than females

21 days ago 2m

Evolutionary biologists thought it was a general rule among mammals that males are bigger, but that's not always the case.

Robert Hook found a surprise in cork

22 days ago 2m

The 17th-century English physicist Robert Hooke was curious about the remarkable properties of cork -- its ability to float, its springy quality, its usefulness in sealing bottles. Hooke investigated the structure of cork with a new scientific

A summer night mystery: heat lightning

23 days ago 2m

One of the more mysterious pleasures of a warm summer evening is the spectacle of lightning from distant thunderstorms, flickering silently on the horizon while stars shine overhead. People usually call it heat lightning.

Why one rotten apple can spoil the barrel

24 days ago 2m

Learn about the role that ethylene plays in ripening fruit with today's A Moment of Science

Speedy snails

25 days ago 2m

Over the past 100,000 years, a snail species has done what it normally takes a species millions of years to do: give live birth.

Rediscovered in a museum drawer

28 days ago 2m

The distant past is poorly known, and paleontologists find fossil evidence for new large animals all the time.

The fruit that grows on trees, literally

29 days ago 2m

Jabuticaba is a fruit native to Brazil. It’s the size and color of a plum, with a white pulp and several seeds

What makes dreams so hard to remember?

Jun 5th, 2024 2m

Perhaps you’ve heard that the average person dreams four to six times each night. But did you know that most of us are unable to recall 90% of our dreams?

Otter heroes with a secret mission

Jun 4th, 2024 2m

The carefree southern sea otters of central California’s coast have had a secret mission: working to fight the devastating loss of kelp forests due to anthropogenic climate change.