1401 Items Tagged

Science

Small rocks can be great souvenirs from camp and other summertime adventures—they can also reveal secrets about Earth's deep history.

How to Identify Rocks, the Ultimate Summer Camp Souvenir

Who hasn't stopped to marvel over a cool rock along the lakeshore or on the trail? Here's how to learn its backstory.

Yinan Wang July 11, 2024

For more than half a century, the traveling International Astronomical Youth Camp has offered a gateway to careers in astronomy—and to lifelong friendships.

Up at Noon, Out All Night: This Summer Camp Is for Serious Stargazers

For more than half a century, the International Astronomical Youth Camp has attracted aspiring astronomers from around the world.

Hannah Seo July 5, 2024

The Kutuk River in Alaska's Gates of the Arctic National Park is one of 75 orange-stained rivers found in the region.

Dozens of Alaska Rivers are Turning an Eerie Orange

The cause is just as concerning as the color.

Charis McGowan June 28, 2024

Sharing nightly ghost stories and other scary tales was a tradition for generations of summer campers—until now.

The Tale of the Vanishing Summer Camp Ghost Story

To avoid traumatizing children, many camps are banning scary stories. But can a little fun with fear be a good thing?

Roxanne Hoorn June 21, 2024

Because many predators hunt at night, humans evolved to be particularly vigilant in low-light environments.

Why a Night in the Woods Can Scare Even Seasoned Campers

As the sun goes down when you're camping, every sound can seem like a threat. Blame evolution—and our phones.

Suzie Dundas June 18, 2024

Upton, New York

Brookhaven Gamma Forest

Starting in 1961, Brookhaven National Labs regularly irradiated a section of forest with a canister of Cesium-137 to study the effects of hard gamma radiation on an ecosystem.

The Ancient Secrets Hidden in 41,000 Bison Bones

Thousands of bones from Colorado's Jones-Miller site offer a detailed picture of Ice Age hunting—and a few mysteries.

Stephen E. Nash June 3, 2024

Springfield, Vermont

Stellafane Observatory

An amateur telescope-making club has been gathering at this Vermont site for more than a century.

An interferogram of Kathmandu shows the amount of land deformation after a 2015 quake: Each color represents about an inch of deformation. In areas that appear speckled, including the large area on the right, the ground deformed more than three feet.

Plate Tectonics Has a Surprise Silver Lining

Without this restless geologic process, which triggers destructive earthquakes, Earth would not be habitable.

Robin George Andrews May 29, 2024

This Iowa Summer Camp Is Abuzz With Mosquitoes

But not in the way you're thinking.

Katherine R. Bruna May 27, 2024

A powerful X3.9 solar flare, visible at lower right, erupts on May 10 in an image captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory.

Why Is the Sun So Active Right Now?

Northern lights in the American South, clusters of huge geomagnetic storms—the Sun is throwing a tantrum right on schedule.

Rebecca Boyle May 14, 2024

Biologist Juan Masello has broken multiple bones, crushed a vein, and nearly drowned studying the world's largest parrot colony, at Balneario El Condor in Argentina.

Studying the World's Largest Parrot Colony Is an Extreme Sport

Cliffside with Argentina's burrowing parrots, biologist Juan Masello has broken bones, crushed a vein, and nearly drowned.

James Hall May 14, 2024

Podcast: To the Moon and Back With Rebecca Boyle

Understanding the ways in which the moon has helped impact human life.

The Podcast Team May 9, 2024

A hairy-nosed otter, one of 700 species identified during a ground-breaking survey of portions of Cambodia's mangrove forests.

Hairy-Nosed Otters, Fishing Cats, and Other Wonders of Cambodia's Mangroves

Researchers exploring the country's threatened coastal habitats discovered 'staggering' biodiversity.

Robin McKie May 6, 2024

A dramatic 2020 eruption of Kīlauea was nothing compared with Indonesia's Toba supervolcano eruption 74,000 years ago, the largest eruption of the past 2.5 million years.

How Indonesia’s Toba Volcano Changed Human Evolution

The massive supervolcano eruption 74,000 years ago has been blamed for nearly killing off our species. The emerging truth is much more interesting.

Gemma Tarlach April 29, 2024

A female small-winged stick mantis (<em>Brunneria subaptera</em>).

The Mystery of Uruguay's Ferocious, All-Female Cannibal Insects

The small-winged stick mantis is found throughout South America's grasslands. But in Uruguay, the population is entirely female.

James Hall April 26, 2024

Meet the Giant Salmon With a Weaponized Mustache

Spike-toothed salmon grew nearly nine feet long and sported tusk-like teeth.

Roxanne Hoorn April 24, 2024

An adult cicada from Brood X.

You've Heard of Cicadas, But Have You Heard of the Magicicada?

Cicada scientists share the secrets of this spring's rare double brood emergence. The last time it happened, Thomas Jefferson was president.

John Cooley and Chris Simon April 22, 2024