Nature
How an ice core traps pieces of ancient atmosphere
Snow leaves air connected to the sky. As burial closes those passages, ice seals atmospheric samples that scientists can recover much later.
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The Periodic Landscape
Explore all 118 elements, rotate a 3D atom, look inside its nucleus and discover protons, neutrons and quarks. Start with the familiar table, then look closer one level at a time.
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Nature
Why some sand dunes sing
A dry avalanche can turn moving grains into a deep, sustained note. Experiments reveal parts of the process, while how the pitch is selected and natural booms are amplified remains disputed.
Nature
How leaves pull water to the top of a tree
A tree has no heart pushing water upstairs. Evaporation in its leaves puts liquid water under tension, and a connected transport network carries the pull down to the roots.
Nature
How a bat rewrites its question to the dark
A bat does not merely listen for echoes. It changes the timing, shape and aim of each call according to what the previous echo made worth asking next.
Nature
How roots find down in the dark
A root does not carry a compass. It divides the problem: cells in the tip detect a change, a moving hormone signal reports the error, and cells farther back perform the turn.