Science

Most recent stories in Science

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  The Washington Post

  

  1 day ago

  Why do we blush? Research subjects watched their own karaoke to find out.

  The Washington Post - Kyle Melnick

  Research participants faced a question when they arrived at an Amsterdam laboratory in 2020: Would they rather sing Adele’s “Hello” or “Let It Go” from the movie “Frozen?” The songs were among four options offered by European scientists who asked volunteers to perform what some consider a …

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  The Washington Post

  

  2 days ago

  How a woman escaped from the jaws of a 400-pound alligator

  The Washington Post - Jonathan Edwards

  Rachél Thompson didn’t notice the danger below until it was too late. After a half-hour of exercise to start the Fourth of July, Thompson waded into the shallows of the Hillsborough River for a bit of relief from the suffocating Florida heat. She crouched down to immerse herself, stood up and put …

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  The Washington Post

  

  2 days ago

  What goes on inside a massive rattlesnake den? See for yourself.

  The Washington Post - Kelsey Baker

  When a friend spoke of rattlesnake sightings on his Colorado ranch, Scott Boback asked to poke around the property. Most people might shudder, but Boback, a herpetologist — someone who studies reptiles and amphibians — believes snakes are misunderstood and unfairly judged. He needed just 15 minutes …

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  The Washington Post

  

  2 days ago

  Skeletons discovered at Pompeii show earthquake added to disaster

  The Washington Post - Carolyn Y. Johnson

  The ancient city of Pompeii was famously buried in pumice and volcanic ash in the year 79, but a new study reveals it was also rocked by earthquakes, adding a new chapter of terror to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. For centuries, scientists have been piecing together the details of this …

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  The Washington Post

  

  3 days ago

  Tua the endangered orangutan gives birth to a baby at Philadelphia Zoo

  The Washington Post - Justine McDaniel

  Tua the orangutan pressed her pregnant belly against a mesh wall in her Philadelphia Zoo enclosure, and the caregivers on the other side began an ultrasound. After her previous miscarriages and loss of one infant to pneumonia, Tua’s zookeepers had done everything they could to ensure a healthy …

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  The Washington Post

  

  3 days ago

  Most birds avoid hurricanes. This species chases them, scientists say.

  The Washington Post - Kyle Melnick

  A rare seabird that lives on an uninhabited Atlantic Ocean island has an unusual response to hurricanes, new research shows: They fly toward the storms, rather than away from them. It is unusual behavior for birds, which typically avoid hurricanes by flying around them or hiding to protect themselves …