SciShow
Parasites Are Good, Actually
Parasites give most of us the heebie-jeebies. But new research shows they're pretty dang important for ecosystems, and climate change is putting them in danger. So here's some of the reasons you should care about those guys!
SciShow
How Does Chickenpox Turn Into Shingles?
You might know that chickenpox and shingles are both caused by the same virus, varicella zoster. Here's why the symptoms, and even the vaccines, are different the second time around.
SciShow
The Record-Breaking Rocket You've Never Heard Of
If you're going to be a world-record holder in the Space Age, why not be tiny instead of giant! JAXA's SS-520-5 is the smallest rocket to ever achieve Earth orbit. Check out the SciShow Pin of the Month here:...
SciShow
Why Is ChatGPT Bad At Math?
Sometimes, you ask ChatGPT to do a math problem that an arithmetically-inclined grade schooler can do with ease. And sometimes, ChatGPT can confidently state the wrong answer. It's all due to its nature as a large language model, and the...
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Why HPV Is Cancer In One Convenient Package
HPV isn't the only virus that causes cancer, but it's one of the best at it. Here's what we've learned about this supervillain of a pathogen, and how to stop it.
SciShow
The Sun Isn't Normal. This Telescope Learned the Hard Way.
The Kepler mission did a great job at showing just how abundant planets are beyond our solar system, but its hunt for Earth 2.0 orbiting Sun 2.0 was a lot less successful. That's partly because the scientists who designed the telescope...
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Why Aliens Might Love Their Frozen Home
In the hunt for life beyond Earth, scientists shouldn't skip over frozen planets. In some cases, ice might actually help life evolve!
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Is Mifepristone Safer Than Viagra? Yes*
Mifepristone, a drug used for medical abortions, is under fire in the United States, with critics claiming it isn't safe to use. Abortion rights advocates often revert to a funny talking point to argue for its safety, but how accurate is...
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What Are We REALLY Using Space Lasers For?
Ever since we started launching stuff into space, we've communicated with spacecraft (and astronauts) using radio waves. But over the past few decades, scientists have experimented with a new technique that could make things a lot more...
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Do Polar Bears Have Fiber Optic Fur?
Humans may use fiber optic technology to make everything from novelty desk toys to high speed internet cables, but Nature has its own ideas. For decades, scientists have debated to what extent polar bears may use the optical properties...
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The Future Of Trees Is Liquid
We love trees, but the main problem is that they aren't exactly travel-sized. However, new technology wants to bring the fresh-air benefits of trees to places that the real deal just can't thrive, like dense urban areas!
SciShow
Why We Stopped Making Progress on Malaria
After decades of improvement, the number of malaria deaths is on the rise again. So scientists are experimenting with a new kind of mosquito control, and it's not an insecticide.
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Salmon Can Turn on Night Vision. Why Can’t We?
Most of us can only see certain wavelengths of light our entire lives. So why can salmon switch on night vision? We'll learn how they can reshape their eyes to see into the infrared.
SciShow
Why These Animals Eat Sh*t
Of all the food options in the world, you'd think that feces would be low on anyone's preference list. But for these animals, eating poop can be anything from a delicacy to a health food - and yes, humans are on the list too.
SciShow
The Giant of Nanoscience
Mildred Dresselhaus was a giant in the field of nanoscience. She didn't invent anything you have in your home right now, but she made it possible for us to have self-charging phones, smarter refrigerators, and more.
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This Fungus Has A Drinking Problem
The strange, sooty fungus growing on distillery walls has long been considered part of the process of making barrel-aged boozy beverages. And this fungus has a lot of tricks up its sleeve to make the most out of ethanol, which to most...
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Why You Have to Blink to Walk
When we picture the first tetrapods, or land vertebrates, crawling out of the ocean, we probably imagine they need legs. But evolution also had to bestow another important adaptation before they could leave the water: blinking!
SciShow
Why Do People Like the Smell of Gasoline?
Why do we love the smell of something like gasoline that provides no clear evolutionary adaptation for us? Here are the psychological and chemical reasons that some researchers have suggested.
SciShow
Is There A Wrong Way To Sit?
Sometimes called "W-sitting," this popular way for kids to plop in front of the TV has been stigmatized for decades. For most people, research indicates it's just fine. But a small percentage of W-sitters do have a problem.
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7 Butterflies That Could Beat You in a Fight
If there's one animal you'd think you can beat in a no-holds-barred cage match, it'd be a butterfly, right? Here are 7+ reasons you'd be wrong.
SciShow
Why Are Snorkels So Short?
Have you ever longed to swim while wielding a longer snorkel? Well, there are a few reasons why they might be shorter than you'd like.
SciShow
Most Planets Don't Orbit Stars!?
Hunting for rogue planets is like hunting for an invisible needle in a haystack. But we're getting a much clearer view thanks to gravitational microlensing surveys. And it looks like there are a LOT more of them out there than we thought.
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How PET Scans See Cancer
When someone gets a PET scan to detect tumors and how far a cancer has spread, that machine is actually detecting sugar. Because cancer has a sweet tooth, and this phenomenon, called the Warburg effect, may help us develop new cancer...
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Why Are Champagne Bubbles So Tidy?
Have you ever noticed that the bubbles in your glass of Champagne are just.... fancier than other sparkling drinks? They form those lovely little columns of bubbles in a way that nothing else does - and it turns out there's some neat...