LIDAR Technology Helps Uncover a Maya Metropolis
LIDAR technology reveals that, in 700 C.E., the ancient Maya city of Caracol was one of the largest in the world.
What's Causing Water to Bubble in the Arctic?
A pilot flying over Esieh Lake, located on the lands of the Indigenous Inupiat people, spotted something unusual on its surface.
Arctic Sinkholes Preview
Colossal explosions shake a remote corner of the Siberian tundra, leaving behind massive craters. In Alaska, a huge lake erupts with bubbles of inflammable gas. Scientists are discovering that these mystifying phenomena add up to a ticking time bomb, as long-frozen permafrost melts and releases vast amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
These Artifacts and Foods Tie Modern Maya to the Past
“The contemporary Maya people still practice not only Maya traditions, but Mesoamerican traditions," anthropologist Iyaxel Coteji Ren told NOVA. "It's one of the traits that distinguish Maya culture."
Can South Carolina's Salt Marshes Be Saved?
Beyond being important to both the economy and marine life in the South, salt marshes also serve as buffers, shielding communities on the coast from erosion and dangerous weather events. But in South Carolina, which boasts the largest expanse of salt marsh of any Atlantic state, these ecosystems are in decline.
Ancient Maya Metropolis Preview
The ancient ancestors of today’s Maya people thrived in large sophisticated cities across Central America for centuries. Why, around 750 CE, did they begin to abandon many of their major cities? Archaeologists investigate dramatic new evidence of the catastrophic droughts and instability that pushed cities beyond their limits.
What Did Dinosaurs in Alaska Eat During Winter?
During the Cretaceous, Alaska was even farther north than it is today and part of the state would have experienced four months of total darkness.
Did Some Dinosaurs Breed in the Arctic?
Scientists in Alaska discover the remains of seven different dinosaur species in the earliest stages of their development. Could baby dinosaurs have hatched in the Arctic and migrated thousands of miles with their parents to avoid polar winter?
Fossilized Dung Reveals Clues About Dinosaurs' Diet
Fossilized feces remains indicate that herbivorous dinosaurs living in the North may have eaten rotten wood—and the insects living in it—to survive winter.
Alaskan Dinosaurs Preview
A team of intrepid paleontologists discovers that dinosaurs thrived in the unlikeliest of places—the cold and dark of winter in the Arctic Circle. How did they survive year-round and raise their young in frigid and dark winter conditions?
How Did This Butterfly Get So Old?
While most butterflies feed on nectar only, this genus of butterfly also feeds on pollen.
How the Morpho Butterfly Gets its Iridescent Color
By studying the structural color of morpho butterflies, scientists are learning more about producing color without using pigments or paint.
From Prison to Careers in STEM
Studies have found that educational programs can lower misconduct and violence rates in prison and recidivism upon release.
Butterfly Blueprints Preview
The hidden scientific secrets of butterflies reveal them to be more inventive and resilient than we ever imagined. Follow their extraordinary life cycle and migrations to tropical rainforests, windswept prairies, and even inside a chrysalis as it’s being spun.
Stopping the Millennium Tower from Sinking Further
When San Francisco's Millennium Tower unexpectedly sunk 16 inches, residents worried the building would topple over. Here's how a structural engineer and his team figured out the cause and suggested a potential fix.
When Earthquake Damage is Invisible
Even if a building appears to be undamaged after an earthquake, it could have used up some of its initial earthquake resisting capability.
Could Antiviral Pills Change the Course of the Pandemic?
Here's how Covid-19 antiviral pills from Pfizer and Merck and Ridgeback work, how effective they are, and how they might change the course of the pandemic.
High-Risk High-Rise Preview
Gleaming symbols of prestige, skyscrapers are an ingenious way to save space in dense urban areas. But even as we devise ways to defend them against fires, wind, and earthquakes, can we also make them more livable, interactive, and eco-friendly?
What will the James Webb Space Telescope do?
Here's what to expect from the largest, most technologically advanced, and most expensive space telescope ever built.
Meet the Marvelous Christmas Tree Worm
Instead of slithering through soil, the Christmas tree worm inhabits coral reefs and might even help protect them against destruction.
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