Science

a colorful image of a human embryo at Day 11 under a microscope

Model human embryo, created from stem cells, survives past two weeks

A model human embryo capable of developing past day 14 could revolutionize our understanding of human development.

How years of fighting every wildfire helped fuel the Western megafires of today

The current approach to fire management poses unnecessarily high stakes for forests. Here’s why fighting every fire does more harm than good.

Paul Hessburg and Keala Hagmann and Susan J. Prichard

rows of black rock with the gloved hands of a scientist in the background

Planet Earth

Record-breaking amount of Earth’s mantle drilled out of ocean floor

Scientists aboard the JOIDES Resolution have retrieved “a staggering” amount of mantle rock from below the ocean floor.

Kristin Houser

Genetics

Should we use genome editing to make better babies?

Over the years, many different people, from preachers to philosophers, have voiced their concerns over the safety and ethics of gene editing.

Tim Brinkhof

Physics

Nuclear fusion hit a milestone thanks to better reactor walls

A team of scientists have shattered the record for the amount of energy produced during a controlled, sustained fusion reaction.

Livia Casali and David Donovan

Food

A new ingredient saves ice cream from being ruined by ice

Special particles in plants can prevent the formation of texture-ruining ice crystals in ice cream — and maybe help preserve donor organs.

Kristin Houser

Neuroscience

In a hole in Earth’s magnetic field, neuroscientists are peering into the human brain

By using quantum physics to measure magnetic fields, researchers are pushing closer to measuring the brain in ways we couldn't before.

B. David Zarley

Neuroscience

Mammals dream about the world they are entering even before birth

A study finds that baby mammals dream about the world they are about to experience to prepare their senses.

Paul Ratner

Paleontology

Fossil of oldest octopus and vampire squid relative may reveal 10-armed past

A newly described fossil may be the oldest relative yet found of octopuses and vampire squids — although if it is a new species at all is disputed.

B. David Zarley

Blockchain

Blockchain experts are funding research that Big Pharma won't

Decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) use smart contracts on blockchains to change how scientific research is funded and shared.

Sachin Rawat

Memory

Newly discovered types of brain cells may hold the key to memory

Researchers believe they have discovered two new types of brain cells that play a key role in memory.

B. David Zarley

CRISPR

CRISPR cattle cleared for the first time by FDA

Beef cattle genetically altered to be less susceptible to heat stress have been cleared for human consumption by the FDA.

Kristin Houser

Engineering

Win-win: we can make fertilizer by purifying wastewater

Stanford engineers have developed a cost-effective way to convert a toxic byproduct of a wastewater filtration process into useful chemicals.

Kristin Houser

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