The star of any solar eclipse is, of course, the sun. And total eclipses give the sun’s wispy, tenuous atmosphere the spotlight. This region, called the corona, is normally too dim to observe directly. But with the moon blocking the sun’s bright disk, the corona comes into view. And the view is dazzling. The corona’s […]

The largest study yet of the most energetic particles to slam into Earth provides the first solid clues to where the particles come from. Using a giant array of tubs of water, scientists found that these ultrahigh energy cosmic rays mostly originate outside the Milky Way. An international team analyzed about 12 years of data […]

Hackers, take notice: Ultrasecure quantum video chats are now possible across the globe. In a demonstration of the world’s first intercontinental quantum link, scientists held a long-distance videoconference on September 29 between Austria and China. To secure the communication, a Chinese satellite distributed a quantum key, a secret string of numbers used to encrypt the […]

In stark contrast to earlier findings, adults do not produce new nerve cells in a brain area important to memory and navigation, scientists conclude after scrutinizing 54 human brains spanning the age spectrum. The finding is preliminary. But if confirmed, it would overturn the widely accepted and potentially powerful idea that in people, the memory-related […]

In movies, exploring the body up close often involves shrinking to microscopic sizes and taking harrowing rides through the blood. Thanks to a new virtual model, you can journey through a three-dimensional brain. No shrink ray required. The Society for Neuroscience and other organizations have long sponsored the website BrainFacts.org, which has basic information about […]

Johnny Juzang was 10 years old when "Linsanity" became a phenomenon. For two magical months, Jeremy Lin showed Juzang and others that it was possible for an Asian American basketball player to succeed at the highest level. Eleven years later, Juzang occupies that same role for a new generation of players. Juzang may not be […]

ZeptonewtonZEP-toe-new-ton n.A unit of force equal to one billionth of a trillionth of a newton. An itty-bitty object can be used to suss out teeny-weeny forces. Scientists used an atom of the element ytterbium to sense an electromagnetic force smaller than 100 zeptonewtons, researchers report online March 23 in Science Advances. That’s less than 0.0000000000000000001 […]