How seafood shells could help solve the plastic waste problem

Chitin and chitosan from crustacean shells could put a dent in the world’s plastic waste problem.

How NASA’s portable atomic clock could revolutionize space travel

An atomic clock designed to enable self-driving spaceships and GPS-like navigation on other planets is about to take a yearlong test flight.

Cold War–era spy satellite images show Himalayan glaciers are melting fast

Declassified spy satellite photographs reveal that glacier melt in the Himalayas has sped up dramatically in the last two decades.

Diamond detectors could aid the search for dark matter

Elusive dark matter particles could be spotted when they slam into electrons or atomic nuclei within diamond, scientists say.

Lost wallets are more likely to be returned if they hold cash

Worldwide, return rates of lost wallets goes up as the money inside increases, contradicting the idea that people act in their own self-interest.

Female rodents are perceived as too difficult to study, and one scientist is calling for change

In neurobiological studies, male lab animals tend to outnumber females, which are considered too hormonal. Scientists say it’s time for that myth to go.

Rotavirus vaccines may lower kids’ chances of getting type 1 diabetes

Vaccination against rotavirus is associated with a reduced incidence of type 1 diabetes in children, according to an analysis of U.S. insurance data.

Mice and bats’ brains sync up as they interact with their own kind

The brain activity of mice and bats aligns in social settings, a coordination that may hold clues about how social context influences behavior.

A computer model explains how to make perfectly smooth crepes

Perfect crepe-making is all in the wrist, according to physics.

Parasites ruin some finches’ songs by chewing through the birds’ beaks

Parasitic fly larvae damage the beaks of Galápagos finches, changing their mating songs and possibly causing females to pick males of a different species.