This article was originally published on July 10, 2019. Last week, a new study in the journal Science highlighted the role forests could play in tackling climate change. Researchers estimated that by restoring forests to their maximum potential, we could cut down atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) by 25 percent — a move that would take us back to levels not seen in over a century. Though the study brings hope in the fight against climate change, other experts warn the solution is not that sim ...read more

Science suggests that air quality varies from neighborhood to neighborhood. And it also suggests that lower income neighborhoods are often subjected to worse air quality. These places are often closest to the factories, airports and highways that spew pollution and add toxic chemicals to our air.According to Aaron Piña, a scientist in NASA's Earth Science Division, historically, the east side of town was where the factories, ports and railways existed and also where the lowest-income neighbo ...read more

In 2023, just about anyone studying up on how to be a better partner or improve a romantic connection is likely to encounter attachment styles in relationships.Even if you aren’t familiar with attachment theory, the four popular attachment styles may ring a bell: anxious, avoidant, disorganized and secure.This framework for human emotions and development has become a darling of relationship experts and pop psychology, frequently surfacing in podcasts, self-help articles, books and perhaps a me ...read more

Last September, NASA crashed the refrigerator-sized DART spacecraft into a small asteroid named Dimorphos at a speed of some 13,000 mph (21,000 km/h). The impact not only successfully changed the trajectory of Dimorphos, which orbits a companion asteroid named Didymos. It also ejected an expansive cloud of debris that gracefully evolved over the next several weeks.In the days following the impact, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope trained its eye on Dimorphos’ ejecta cloud to help astronomer ...read more

Whether you’re brand new to citizen science or a seasoned enthusiast, April is the perfect time to get involved with citizen science initiatives! All month long we’re celebrating Citizen Science Month, which brings together researchers, facilitators and people like you to explore the ways collaboration can make a monumental impact on scientific research.Together with Arizona State University and support from the National Library of Medicine, SciStarter is hosting Citizen Science Month for t ...read more

When water levels dropped last year, waterways like the Mississippi River and Lake Mead became shallower than kiddie pools. Although the extreme drought from 2022 has eased in many places, 28 percent of the continental U.S. is still experiencing drier-than-average conditions.Both Lake Mead and the Mississippi River serve as freshwater sources for nearby communities. The threat of drought has prompted many municipalities to consider how wastewater can be reused, and the recent Bipartisan Infr ...read more

Approximately 4,000 years ago, an ancient civilization living in the Indus Valley (today’s India and Pakistan) comprised 10 percent of the world’s population. Though few records remain about this group of people, archaeologists found they were advanced enough to have their own writing system — which has still yet to be deciphered. Known as the Indus script, the mysterious text has puzzled scholars, linguists and even cryptographers for decades. Only a few hundred symbols have been classifi ...read more

You're more likely to be struck by lightning than die from a venomous snake bite. But bites do happen. If you do find yourself on the business end of a snake's fangs, here are a few things you need to know.What NOT to do if You Get a Snake BiteThe first thing to consider — you're probably not going to die (in the U.S.). The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that between 7,000 and 8,000 people in the U.S. are bitten by venomous snakes each year. And of those who ...read more

Litter — it's the burger wrapper tossed from a moving car, the plastic bottle left behind at the beach and the cigarette butt dropped on the sidewalk. Improperly disposed of garbage doesn't just litter the land. Trash is afflicting the oceans, and the deputy general of the U.N. called marine litter a "ubiquitous global problem."Why can't some people just hold onto that burger wrapper? Or tuck a plastic bottle back into their bag? Researchers call it "littering behavior," and there are mult ...read more

Mindfulness is such a buzzword. We all want it, but our ability to attain it is fleeting. We fear life is passing us by, and as the world moves faster and faster, living in the present moment seems more difficult. But while mindfulness is the key to happiness, mind wandering is the key to our survival as a species.The Evolution of the Wandering MindAccording to Michael Graziano, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Princeton University, we did evolve to have attention, a crucially impo ...read more