How to Measure a Mountain
It’s not easy to measure a mountain. Mount Everest's height has been known since the middle of the nineteenth century, but how did they figure it out with no altimeters or GPS?
What Awaits on the Dark Side of the Moon?
An unmanned Chinese probe will be exploring the moon's far side in 2018. The side that faces away from the earth differs significantly from the familiar face of the moon. So why are the two sides so different?
A Primer on e-DNA
eDNA is DNA that an animal sloughs off into its environment through feces, shedding, or lost skin. The technology can detect invasive species.
Female Inventive Talent
Brief commentary on one line from JSTOR: An unsigned editorial from an 1870s issue of Scientific American suggests that women can be great inventors, too.
A Primer on Neutron Stars
In the far off constellation of Hydra; two neutron stars collided, producing vast clouds of gold and other heavy elements. What's a neutron star anyway?
The Ig Nobels: The Lighter Side of Scientific Research
What exactly are the Ig Nobels? And what can we learn from the Journal of Irreproducible Results and the Annals of Improbable Results?
When the Sea Recedes
When caused by storms, receding oceans are result of an inverted storm surge, a “negative surge.” Storm surges have a few causes.
Before the Civil War, Women Were Welcomed into the Sciences
Women in the STEM fields are reclaiming the memory of a richer scientific past than some might think.
Solar Eclipse Tourism: The Victorians Were the Pioneers
People have been planning for this month's total solar eclipse for years. They aren't the first to do so: the Victorians pioneered eclipse tourism.
The Secrets of Jupiter’s Incredible Great Red Spot
Astronomers have worked out that Jupiter's Great Red Spot is a massive storm system, but what keeps a storm going for hundreds of years?