Plants Know When They Are Being Eaten. (And They Fight Back.)
Plants have long employed a variety of defensive strategies against herbivores, but the scope and sophistication of these defenses is still being understood.
Who Was Antony Van Leeuwenhoek?
Antony Van Leeuwenhoek is considered the first microbiologist. Some of his original letters can be read here.
The Weirdest Dwarf Planets Discovered So Far
The solar system is apparently more crowded than we thought: astronomers have discovered a new dwarf planet. Some dwarf planets don't play by the rules.
The Pneumatic Subway That Almost Was
New York almost had a pneumatic subway system, but political, legal, and financial reasons kept the system from expanding.
The Incredible Moving Forest
For as long as plants have existed, there have been moving forests, migrating across the earth’s surface in response to changes in the climate.
A New Tool in the Search for Alien Life
China is bringing a huge new radio telescope on-line, and part of its stated purpose will be to search for alien life.
The Mother of Ocean Floor Cartography
Marie Tharp's contribution to ocean-floor mapping and the acceptance of plate tectonics wasn't recognized at the time.
How to Predict Hurricanes in the 17th Century
In 1698, Captain Langford shared how one indigenous Caribbean person predicted hurricanes 14 days in advance.