Scientists used centuries-old aurora sightings to reconstruct 8 solar cycles from 1560 to 1640; their method placed solar minima within 2 years with more than 90% reliability
In 1996, NOAA scientists pumped 2 dyes beneath Key Largo to learn where groundwater went; 18 days later, 2 bay-side wells showed it flowed toward the Atlantic
Dutch scientists pipe office urine into bacteria-filled cells that generate electricity and recover nitrogen and phosphorus, while a related system can produce hydrogen
Meet Rachel Chen, the 18-year-old Los Angeles student who expanded a 1997 quantum-math idea to describe entire particle systems with simple diagrams; she won $100,000
In 2018, scientists seeded clouds over China's Muz Taw Glacier to make snow; the brighter surface was followed by 14% to 17% less ice loss in a preliminary experiment
All known life uses 4 DNA letters; UC San Diego showed an existing bacterial enzyme can accurately read and transcribe 8, doubling the genetic alphabet with synthetic letters