Category: 1. Edi-Choice

How much do your genes determine how long you’ll live? It’s a question that fascinates us, and one that’s been debated for decades.

For years, the answer seemed settled – genes account for about 20–25% of the variation in human lifespan,…

As high-latitude soils warm, microbes in the soil change how they handle nutrients like nitrogen. Normally, these microbes are nitrogen recyclers, pulling it from the soil and turning it into inorganic forms — like ammonium and nitrates —…

The science behind why some auroras have such stunning wave patterns

Carrying too much body fat can have lasting effects on the brain, not to mention other organs. A new study shows that the risk of declining brain health may relate to where on the body fat is stored.

Researchers from Xuzhou Medical University…

Scientists just watched a bizarre phase of matter turn into an even stranger one. For the first time, they saw a superfluid turn into a supersolid — a transition they weren’t sure was even possible.

In a Jan. 28 study in the journal Nature,…

In July 1962, a young scientist entered a deep cave in the French Alps and disconnected entirely from clocks, sunlight, and human contact. He remained underground for 63 days. The effects on his body and brain went far beyond what he…

Just as the mythological Icarus melted his feathers and wax wings when he flew too close to the sun,…

Ancient Olympians were renowned for their strength and agility, but were any of these athletes women? And were there other sporting opportunities in which women in ancient Greece could compete?

The ancient Olympics involved people from all over…

Beneath Earth’s surface lies a kingdom of undiscovered microscopic life. These “intraterrestrials” survive in some of the harshest conditions on the planet — and scientists are hunting for these microbes.

In this excerpt from “