Features on ZME Science

Your new phobia, unlocked: a rogue hole in the ocean

From a sailing myth to proven fact, rogue waves and the lesser known rogue holes are rare but real.

What do Fungi, Chameleons, and Humans All Have in Common? We're all Heterotrophs

From chameleons to ghostly plants, Earth’s life forms have evolved ingenious ways to eat.

9 Nuts and Seeds That Boost Brain Power

You can't go wrong including these nuts and seeds into your diet for a healthier brain.

Artificial selection — when humans take what they want genetically

As soon as we recognised inheritance, we began selectively breeding to see what we could get.

Why Japan’s Birth Rate Collapsed in 1966 — And May Collapse Again in 2026

The culprit was an ancient superstition about "cursed" baby girls.

How Dandelions Break Through Concrete With Nothing but Willpower (and Physics)

Whether you think of it as a weed or a bit of nature in the city, a dandelion has impressive survival skills.

We Need to Talk About Composting Toilets. Can They Actually Work?

Composting toilets could make a difference in our water-limited world. But are we ready to consider them?

The Matthew Effect Explains Why the 'Rich' in Science Get Richer

Win a Nobel, and you’ll never be ignored again — whether you like it or not.

7 Extraordinary Jellyfish That Prove You Don't Need a Spine to Be Awesome

Let's zoom in on one of the strangest, oldest and most mesmerizing creatures in the sea.

Once Nearly Gone, Europe’s Wild Mammals Are Roaring Back

The broader takeaway is clear: with space and time, life can — and will — rebound.

From Farms to Lost Cities, Drones Are Quietly Revolutionizing Modern Science

On a frozen landscape in Svalbard, Norway, where the glaciers bleed into the Arctic Ocean, a small buzzing drone lifted into the air. Its mission was not surveillance, nor delivery. It was science. Armed with thermal cameras and spectral sensors, these flying robots can map melting ice, spot hidden algae blooms, and beam back data […]

How One Man and a Legendary Canoe Rescued the Dying Art of Polynesian Navigation

Through the efforts of one remarkable man, an old tradition of Polynesian navigation was revived.

Why Some People Never Get Lost — and Others Always Do

It’s not really in your genes that much. It’s how you live, explore, and pay attention.

The Worm That Outsourced Locomotion to Its (Many) Butts

Ramisyllis multicaudata challenges the very idea of a body.

The unusual world of Roman Collegia — or how to start a company in Ancient Rome

Grassroots social and economic engines that brought even slaves into civic life.

For over 500 years, Oxford graduates pledged to hate Henry Symeonis. So, who is he?

It's one of the weirdest pledges you'll ever come across.

These companies want to make hand bags out of T-rex leather. But scientists aren't buying it

A lab-grown leather inspired by dinosaur skin sparks excitement—and scientific skepticism

9 Environmental Stories That Don't Get as Much Coverage as They Should

From whales to soil microbes, our planet’s living systems are fraying in silence.

The Haast's Eagle: The Largest Known Eagle Hunted Prey Fifteen Times Its Size

The extinct bird was so powerful it could kill a 400-pound animal with its talons.

Neanderthals Crafted Bone Spears 30,000 Years Before Modern Humans Came In

An 80,000-year-old spear point rewrites what we thought we knew about Neanderthals.

Climbing gyms are as polluted as busy city streets -- and shoes are to blame

Rubber particles from climbing shoes may expose gymgoers to levels of pollution found on city streets

Nature Built a Nuclear Reactor 2 Billion Years Ago — Here’s How It Worked

Billions of years ago, this uranium went a bit crazy.

We Know Sugar Is Bad for Your Teeth. What About Artificial Sweeteners?

You’ve heard it a thousand times: sugar is terrible for your teeth. It really is. But are artificial sweeteners actually any better? The short answer? Yes—artificial sweeteners don’t feed the bacteria that cause cavities. But here’s the twist: many of the sugar-free products they’re used in can still damage your teeth in a different way—through […]

The surprising reason why the UK has power surges because of TV programs

It's all because of tea.

How a suitcase-sized NASA device could map shrinking aquifers from space

Next‑gen gravity maps could help track groundwater, ice loss, and magma.

But they're not really dire wolves, are they?

and this isn't a conservation story

1809 map shows where all our favorite French foods came from

Everyone knows French cuisine is simply spectacular - and it has been for centuries.

The small town in Germany where both the car and the bicycle were invented

In the quiet German town of Mannheim, two radical inventions—the bicycle and the automobile—took their first wobbly rides and forever changed how the world moves.

“You have such a February face”: Shakespeare’s Most Savage Insults, Explained

William Shakespeare gave the English language more than just poetic sonnets and tragic deaths. He also gave us some of the most delightfully vicious insults ever spoken onstage. These weren’t your average insults. Each jab struck at the core of a character’s personality or the tension of a scene. Many were funny. Some were deadly […]

Jay Bhattacharya has a history of misinformation. He's about to head the NIH

Jay Bhattacharya, a Stanford professor with no experience treating patients, is set to become the director of the NIH.

Pokémon Go Players Were Duped Into Training a Powerful AI Map of the Real World

While you thought you were training your Pikachu, you were actually training AI to see the world.

Trump’s Tariffs Just Made Everything More Expensive and Americans Are About to Feel It. Here's Exactly How

Trump's trade war will cost the average American household between $1,200 and $3,200 annually.

From Fika to Friluftsliv: Four Scandinavian Concepts that Will Make Your Life Happier and Healthier (and a Bonus)

Sweden’s “Lagom,” and Denmark’s “Hygge,” aren’t just trendy words — they’re philosophies that promote well-being and balance.

How an Ancient Plant Became the World’s First Birth Control and Rome's Love Potion. Then Went Extinct Because of It

This medicinal plant was so coveted, it was worth its weight in gold. But this ultimately brought its downfall.

A Scrabble Champion Won the Spanish World Title Without Speaking a Word of Spanish

What a legend!

Why People Believe in Pseudoscience—and Why It’s So Dangerous

We’re bombarded with pseudoscience every day—from social media conspiracy theories to politicians dismissing climate change with a snowball.

Governments Are Throwing Money at Declining Birth Rates But It’s Not Working

Governments worldwide are offering cash incentives and creative policies to boost birth rates, but declining fertility trends reveal deeper societal shifts — here's why their efforts are falling short and what it means for the future.

How To Solve Any Problem Using Enrico Fermi's Back-Of-The-Envelope Math (And Some Common Sense)

Estimate anything in the world with a napkin and a pen.

Sam Altman said it was "hopeless" for smaller AIs to compete with OpenAI. DeepSeek proved him wrong

It’s hard to overstate just how impactful DeepSeek has been. In a couple of days, it rattled the entire AI industry, shattering the aura of invincibility that OpenAI (and American tech companies in general) had built around themselves. DeepSeek’s new AI is the number one most downloaded free app on the Apple Store, and it’s […]

Fluoride in water doesn't affect brain development, another study finds

A study out of Australia finds, again, that fluoride in water is not linked to lower IQ.

Who Invented Russian Roulette? How a 1937 Short Story Sparked the Deadliest "Game" in Pop Culture

Russian Roulette is deadly game that likely spawned from a work of fiction.

The Rule of 72: The Simple Math Behind Doubling Your Money

This quick mental calculation can reveal the power of compounding interest.

Why Paris Is Leaving Cars Behind for Bikes

Paris has reinvented itself as a cyclist’s paradise, moving from car-dominated streets to a city crisscrossed by bike lanes.

The Futurama Theorem: The Math Behind a Mind-Swapping Episode

The Futurama Theorem is one of the most fascinating crossovers between academia and pop culture.

The Birthday Paradox: Why a Room of Only 23 Strangers Has a 50/50 Chance of a Shared Birthday

In a room of 23 people, the odds surprise us all.

Women Didn’t Live Longer Than Men in Medieval Times. Here's Why

Bones tell the story of gender and survival in Medieval London.

The pair of jeans that sent the chess world in turmoil

Magnus Carlsen wore jeans to a chess tournament. Now the entire sport is boiling over.

Not too hot, not too cold. What’s the ideal room temperature?

The eternal struggle between family members and co-workers.

For better or worse, machine learning is shaping biology research

Machine learning tools can increase the pace of biology research and open the door to new research questions, but the benefits don’t come without risks.

The Math Behind Why Mexico’s Cartel War is a Never-Ending Nightmare

Cartels are Mexico's fifth largest employer. They are recruiting faster than the government can arrest them.

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