Research roundup: 6 cool science stories we almost missed
It’s a regrettable reality that there is never enough time to cover all the interesting scientific stories we come across. So every month, we highlight a handful of the best…
August 2026
German WWII shipwrecks resurface in Danube River
History regularly reappears along the Danube River near the Serbian town of Prahovo, but it’s likely never been more visible than this summer. As brutal temperatures across much of Europe…
The world’s oldest lightbulb has been shining for 125 years
Earlier this summer, a group of wellwishers assembled inside Livermore, California’s fire station #6 to sing “Happy Birthday” to a light bulb. While not the most expected recipient of well…
How to watch a live deep-sea exploration in the Pacific
Most people learn about deep sea discoveries in the days and weeks after marine biologists make them, but you don’t need to be aboard a research vessel to experience new…
Police sirens started with a 19th century French scientist
We all know what a siren sounds like—they’re hard to avoid. From police cars to emergency warning systems, it’s hard to spend a day in a city without hearing at…
Here’s how engineers plan to save the satellite sent to save NASA’s Swift mission
One week ago, more than 200 miles above the Earth, a refrigerator-size satellite making its way toward an attempted rescue of NASA’s $500 million Swift gamma-ray observatory suddenly spun out…
This is the best browser to maximize your web privacy
There are many different ways you can improve the security and privacy of your online browsing experience. But if you want to maximize how safe you are when you venture…
The 10 longest airplane flights on Earth
The airline industry is entering an era of aerial endurance. Just 10 years ago, only one commercial airline offered a one-way flight topping 17 hours. Now, passengers are filing onto…
How fruit flies chase invisible ribbons of smell to get to their source
A fruit fly hunting a piece of rotting fruit or a mate navigates by smell, following plumes of odor. Out in the wild, turbulent air swirls these plumes into a…
Not just Neanderthals: Ghost lineage in Africa left its mark on our DNA
When the history of our ancestry is written, the fact that we’ve interbred with some of our closest relatives, the Neanderthals and Denisovans, will have a central role. And it…