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Oct. 07, 2015
Picture of the Week: LUX's Photomultipler Tubes
by Chau Tu
This honeycomb-like array is helping scientists on their search for dark matter.
dark matter
Aug. 26, 2015
Picture of the Week: DNA Bunny
by Julie Leibach
Researchers have developed a method to build tiny structures out of DNA based on 3-D polygonal shapes created with a computer.
DNA origami, DNA nanotechnology
Aug. 19, 2015
Picture of the Week: Corpse Flower
by Julie Leibach
The putrid odor of a large tropical plant has begun wafting through the Denver Botanic Gardens—and visitors are lining up to inhale deeply.
corpse flower, denver, titan arum
Aug. 11, 2015
Picture of the Week: Blue-Green Algae Bloom
by Michele Berger
This picture, shot by a drone, reveals the verdant fingers of a blue-green algae bloom.
harmful algal bloom, hab, algae, lake erie
Aug. 05, 2015
Picture of the Week: Blue Morpho Butterflies
by Emma Bryce
Biologists are using the medley of blues and browns in these wings to help them understand butterfly wing development.
butterflies, gynandromorphs
Jul. 29, 2015
Picture of the Week: Kelvin-Helmholtz Clouds
by Chau Tu
These picturesque clouds reveal a particular kind of turbulence in the atmosphere.
kelvin-helmholtz
Jul. 23, 2015
Picture of the Week: Saharan Silver Ant
by Julie Leibach
Ant-Man's cool. But this ant is cooler, thanks to metallic-looking hairs that help it beat the African desert heat.
ants, sahara silver ant, scorching, desert, sand, silver hairs, antman
Jul. 15, 2015
Picture of the Week: Pluto
by Julie Leibach
Our most up-close-and-personal shot of the (dwarf) planet yet.
pluto, new horizons, pluto flyby
Jul. 08, 2015
Picture of the Week: Axolotl
by Chau Tu
This critically endangered salamander reaches sexual maturity without undergoing metamorphosis.
axolotl
Jun. 30, 2015
Picture of the Week: Sunshine Recorder
by Elizabeth Preston
This antique technology, called a Campbell-Stokes sunshine recorder, helps researchers maintain North America’s longest-running weather record.
sunshine recorder, blue hill observatory
Jun. 23, 2015
Picture of the Week: Cock-Eyed Squid
by Chau Tu
This midwater cephalopod sports different-size eyes for different functions.
squid, cephalopod week, cock-eyed squid
Jun. 17, 2015
Picture of the Week: Ferrofluid
by Marcus Woo
Liquid magnets lend themselves to art, as well as medical research.
ferrofluid, cancer, tumor
Jun. 09, 2015
Picture of the Week: The Green Rose
by Chau Tu
This mutated rose has sepals instead of petals.
rose, green rose, botany
Jun. 03, 2015
Picture of the Week: Milk Drop
by Emma Bryce
An engineer creates a perfect liquid crown using innovative flash photography.
doc edgerton, photography, flash
May. 27, 2015
Picture of the Week: Limpet Teeth
by Laura Dattaro
The title-holder for strongest biological material goes to a small mollusk.
limpet, sea snail
May. 20, 2015
Picture of the Week: Bombardier Beetle
by Adam Hoffman
Researchers have figured how a toxin-spraying beetle packs its pulsing punch.
bombardier beetle, beetles, toxic spray, mit, eric arndt
May. 15, 2015
Picture of the Week: Sun Halo, With Sundog Companions
by Chau Tu
When the sun interacts with six-sided ice crystals, ethereal optical effects can occur.
sun halos, robert greenler, physics, sundogs, ice crystal effects
May. 05, 2015
Picture of the Week: Cat Tongue
by Alisa Opar
A magnified look reveals the serrated edges that Fluffy uses to clean herself—and rasp meat off bones.
cat tongue, david linstead, wellcome images awards, wellcome trust
Apr. 28, 2015
Picture of the Week: Pando, One of Earth's Largest Living Organisms
by Chau Tu
These quaking aspens are all clones of one mother stem.
Apr. 22, 2015
Picture of the Week: Pillars of Creation, 2.0
by Julie Leibach
Two new versions of the iconic Hubble image commemorate the space telescope’s 25th anniversary.
hubble, hubble anniversary
Apr. 15, 2015
Picture of the Week: Scuttle Flies
by Michele Berger
A citizen science project uncovers 30 new species of scuttle fly in Los Angeles.
flies, scuttle flies, phoridae
Apr. 10, 2015
Picture of the Week: Lion's Mane Mushroom
by Chau Tu
This pristine white fungus might have neuroprotective properties.
mushroom, lion's mane mushroom, bearded mushroom, fungi
Apr. 02, 2015
Picture of the Week: Horn Shark Egg Case
by Julie Leibach
The spiraling protective packaging ensconces a single embryo and yolk sac.
horn shark, egg case, horn shark egg case, sharks
Mar. 26, 2015
Picture of the Week: Capsizing Iceberg
by Emma Bryce
Icebergs in Greenland are flipping over like dominoes more often than they have in the past.
ice berg, capsizing, flipping icebergs, greeland, melting
Mar. 19, 2015
Picture of the Week: Ruby Seadragon
by Alisa Opar
Researchers discovered a new type of seadragon, bringing the total number of known species to a whopping three.
Mar. 10, 2015
Picture of the Week: Plastiglomerate
by Chau Tu
Plastic is melding with marine debris in Hawaii.
plastic, hawaii, plastiglomerate, pollution, kamilo beach, marine debris
Mar. 04, 2015
Picture of the Week: A Single Snowflake
by Nathalia Holt
Wilson Bentley brought the beauty of snow crystals to the public using a technique called photomicrography.
Feb. 26, 2015
Picture of the Week: Human Placenta
by Emma Bryce
Though discarded after birth, the placenta builds the first vital connection between mother and fetus.
placenta, human placenta, fetus, womb
Feb. 18, 2015
Picture of the Week: Corn Smut
by Chris Benjamin
A Canadian researcher is cultivating a ghastly looking fungal disease into a gourmet snack.
corn smut, huitlacoche, octavio pareds-lopez, barry saville
Feb. 11, 2015
Picture of the Week: Hopkins' Rose Sea Slug
by Julie Leibach
This bubblegum-pink sea slug is cropping up in areas where it's rarely seen in large numbers.
sea slug, nudibranch, sea slugs, pacific decadal oscillation, el nino, la nina
Feb. 04, 2015
Picture of the Week: Yellowstone’s Morning Glory
by Adam Hoffman
The interplay of light, bacteria, and water depth influence the dramatic colors at Yellowstone’s famous pool.
morning glory pool, microbial mats
Jan. 28, 2015
Picture of the Week: Electric Eel
by Chau Tu
New research shows that the electric fish operates like a Taser to immobilize prey.
eel, electric eel
Jan. 21, 2015
Picture of the Week: Belize's Blue Hole
by Emma Bryce
Sediment cores from around the Yucatán Peninsula support a theory as to what could have led to the Mayans' demise.
belize, blue hole, mayan
Jan. 13, 2015
Picture of the Week: Comet Lovejoy
by Julie Leibach
You might be able to spot this bright, verdant comet with the naked eye.
comet, comet lovejoy, green, comets, space, ice, dust, why do comets glow green
Jan. 07, 2015
Picture of the Week: Zinc Spark
by Becky Fogel
The original meet-cute. When sperm and egg meet, sparks fly.
egg, sperm, fertilize, fertilization, zinc sparks, zinc, atoms
Dec. 31, 2014
Picture of the Week: Planthopper Gears
by Rachel Nuwer
The cogs allow the planthopper nymph to synchronize movement of its hind legs.
chitin, planthopper, nymph, gears, nature, igor siwonowicz
Dec. 22, 2014
Picture of the Week: Transgenic American Chestnuts
by Chau Tu
Researchers have developed a blight-resistant species that's nearly identical to the American chestnut tree.
chestnuts, genetic engineering, american chestnut, blight, restoration, transgenic trees
Dec. 17, 2014
Picture of the Week: Mechanical Calculator
by Sarah Lewin
This machine was a predecessor to the electronic calculator.
calculator, mechanical calculator, kevin twomey, mark glusker
Dec. 11, 2014
Picture of the Week: Underwater Robot
by Julie Leibach
Using data from a robot, scientists have created the first detailed, 3-D maps of Antarctic sea ice thickness.
Dec. 02, 2014
Picture of the Week: Livingstone's Beetles
by Emma Bryce
A museum curator has discovered a box of beetles containing specimens collected during a famous expedition.
beetles, livingstone, david livingstone, dr. livingstone i presume
Nov. 25, 2014
Picture of the Week: Cranberries
by Chau Tu
Some tasty facts about the popular Thanksgiving treat.
cranberries, thanksgiving, cranberry, cranberry station, university of massachusetts
Nov. 18, 2014
Picture of the Week: Awareness in a Damaged Brain
by Emma Bryce
While people in a vegetative state appear physically unresponsive, a new study reveals that some might be aware to a degree.
Nov. 11, 2014
Picture of the Week: 'Engagement Ring' in Space
by Chau Tu
A nebula and a star line up perfectly in the sky.
nebula, abell 33, star, white dwarf
Nov. 03, 2014
Picture of the Week: Death Under Glass
by Chau Tu
An exhibit at Philadelphia's Mütter Museum offers a peek through a forensic pathologist’s microscope.
histology, death, tattoo, forensic pathology, medical examination, skin
Oct. 28, 2014
Picture of the Week: Egyptian Mummy
by Sarah Lewin
A patient more than 3,000 years-old takes a turn through a CT scanner.
mummy, mummies, st. louis art museum, radiology
Oct. 20, 2014
Picture of the Week: Phytoplankton
by Sarah Lewin
This hard-scaled algae adapted to increased temperatures and acidification of the water—and continued absorbing CO2.
algae, phytoplankton, climate change, nature climate change, emiliani huxleyi
Oct. 15, 2014
Picture of the Week: The Sun
by Sarah Lewin
Photographer Alan Friedman documents the sun’s many faces using telescopes, filters, cameras, and computer software.
Oct. 06, 2014
Picture of the Week: Fukang Pallasite
by Chau Tu
This rare type of meteorite offers insight into asteroid formation, as well as earth's geologic processes.
pallasite, fukang, meteorite
Sep. 30, 2014
Picture of the Week: Mammalian Eye
by Emma Bryce
A special imaging technology peers inside a mouse eye, revealing the distinct roles that cells play in maintaining retinal health.
eye, mouse, cells
Sep. 22, 2014
Picture of the Week: Fused Staghorn Coral
by Chau Tu
This hybrid coral could withstand climate change better than its relatives.
coral, florida, miami, hybrid, ocean, environment
To access older blog posts, navigate via the archive links in the sidebar at left.
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Science Friday® is produced by the Science Friday Initiative, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Science Friday® and SciFri® are registered service marks of Science Friday, Inc. Site design by Pentagram; engineering by Mediapolis.
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