All Stories by Rachel Crowell
- Tech
Horses are inspiring this roboticist to build trustworthy robots
Computer scientist Eakta Jain is looking at human-horse interactions for ideas about how to design robots that work well with people.
- Physics
Why some icicles become scallops not spikes
The newfound — and at times quirky — shapes reflect the density of water surrounding submerged ice.
- Life
From icebergs to smoke, forecasting where dangers will drift
Smoke drifts. Fish eggs float downstream. Where such drifting things end up may seem a mystery. But research can predict where they’ll end up.
- Animals
Endangered or just rare? Statistics give meaning to the head counts
Whether studying tiny birds or massive whales, researchers collect a lot of data. The field of statistics helps them make sense of those data.
- Math
Explainer: What is statistics?
Scientists use statistics to design studies, analyze data and evaluate uncertainty. You’ll find it in biology, climate change, medicine and more.
- Space
Meet ‘Pi’ — a new Earth-sized planet
Searching through data from NASA’s K2 Mission, researchers found a new planet. Some call it K2-315b, others smile and refer to it as “Pi Earth.”
- Math
Science is helping kids become math masters
Some researchers study video games, students’ posture and more as a means to help kids become better and more comfortable with math.
- Math
Cool Jobs: The art of paper folding is inspiring science
See how bringing art and math together led to the development of robo-roaches, self-folding papers and medical implants.
- Computing
Math + teens + practice = a winning competition
Training for an Olympics of math helps students stretch their creativity and learn problem solving skills. If you like puzzles, you might want to check out these events.
- Math
Math isn’t just for boys
The United States won the International Mathematical Olympiad in 2015 and 2016. The big question: Why wasn’t there even one girl on either year’s team?
- Math
Cool Jobs: Motion by the numbers
What do car crash testers, video game creators and scientists who study athletic performance have in common? All use geometry in their cool jobs.
- Math
Explainer: The basics of geometry
From points and lines to complex three-dimensional shapes, our world is made of shapes and spaces. The math used to understand most of these is known as geometry.
