The Awakening

After nearly five decades of inactivity, the Calbuco volcano in southern Chile spews a violent blast of ash and smoke, the energy generating a tangle of volcanic lightning. Situated along the Ring of Fire, Chile has a chain of about 2,000 volcanoes, most of which are dormant or extinct.

This photograph was submitted to the 2015 National Geographic Photo Contest. Submit your best photo for a chance to win.

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from National Geographic http://bit.ly/1O3QRQp

Arsenic found in many American red wines, but health risks depend on total diet

A Fresh Perspective on an Extraordinary Cluster of Galaxies

Competing mice reveal genetic defects

High Light

Early morning sunbeams pierce the clouds over a valley in Yangshuo County, China. Matthew Richardson captured the dramatic scene from his vantage point atop Xianggong Hill, just one of the many karst peaks that fill the region.

from National Geographic http://bit.ly/1GfX1qd

Making batteries with portabella mushrooms

Relationship between sympathy, helping others could provide clues to development of altruism

Scientists to bypass brain damage by re-encoding memories

Study sheds light on powerful process that turns food into energy

Our brain's secrets to success?

Dark, Recurring Streaks on Walls of Garni Crater on Mars

Chimpanzee personality linked to anatomy of brain structures, study finds

Earth-like planets around small stars likely have protective magnetic fields, aiding chance for life

March of Pines

Staggered by snow, Norway spruces bend with the weather in northern Sweden’s Laponia, one of the largest wilderness areas in Europe at 3,630 square miles. “Solitude and spectacle—that’s the essence of Laponia,” says John Utsi, a writer from the town of Jokkmokk.

See more pictures from the October 2015 feature story “Wild Heart of Sweden.”

from National Geographic http://bit.ly/1P2TQcq

A walk around the office can reverse vascular dysfunction caused by hours at a computer

How sign language users learn intonation

A light touch: Embedded optical sensors could make robotic hands more dexterous

King crabs threaten Antarctic ecosystem due to warming ocean

Ancestral background can be determined by fingerprints

How ocean circulation changed atmospheric CO2

Particular brain connections linked to positive human traits

Chemical exposure linked to rising diabetes, obesity risk

Early exposure to tobacco as a cause of behavioral problems in children

Liquid water flows on today's Mars: NASA confirms evidence

Early life infections may be a risk factor for celiac disease in childhood

Blocking light improves preemies' survival rates

Monkeys and Humans See Optical Illusions in Similar Way

Supermoon Eclipse in Washington

Supermoon Eclipse in New York City

A Standout

A brightly hued Labord’s chameleon clings to a branch, standing in stark contrast to the surrounding dry brush. It’s a popular myth that chameleons take on the color of what they touch. Though some color changes do help them blend into their surroundings, the skin’s changing hue is in fact a physiological reaction that’s mostly for communication.

See more pictures from the September 2015 feature story “The Colorful Language of Chameleons.”

from National Geographic http://bit.ly/1KZvhvh

Concrete Abstract

When Larry Abraham grew bored with the photos he was capturing from a third-floor fire escape in Tacoma, Washington, he decided to change his perspective. Rather than look out, he looked down. “Color and pattern caught my eye,” he writes, “and I went to work.”

from National Geographic http://bit.ly/1OZeOsK

Sun Exposure

Passengers on a tour of the Northwest Passage boarded Zodiacs near Beechey Island, Canada, after hearing of a possible polar bear sighting—the first of the trip. “Our drivers maneuvered us [into] perfect positions to take pictures of the bear without stressing the animal,” writes Nina Stavlund. “You could feel the excitement, but everyone was very quiet.” With flowing adrenaline and a pounding heart—”This was, after all, my first polar bear in the wild”—Stavlund was shaking so much that she had to take a few deep breaths. “I made sure my shutter was fast and that I had a good exposure [so as] not to wash out the beautiful white coat. [When] the bear turned its head toward the sun, I saw a catch light in the eye and pressed the shutter until my buffer was full.”

from National Geographic http://bit.ly/1FnPNFP

2-million-year-old fossils reveal hearing abilities of early humans

Extreme Pacific sea level events to double in future

Study adds to evidence that viruses are alive

Scientists discover new system for human genome editing

What powers the pumping heart?

A different type of 2-D semiconductor

The Nile at Night

Small-scale nuclear fusion may be a new energy source

Secrets of a cellular nanomachine revealed: Learning how any molecule passes through any membrane

'Fossils' of galaxies reveal the formation and evolution of massive galaxies

I've got your back: Fish really do look after their mates

Shadowland

Sunrise filtering through trees creates long shadows in East Java, Indonesia. Adl Chai captured this view from Mount Bromo, an active volcano and one of the country’s most iconic mountains.

Chai’s photo was recently featured in the Daily Dozen.

from National Geographic http://bit.ly/1KFDFN9

A twist for control of orbital angular momentum of neutron waves

Flower declines shrink bee tongues

Eleven-year cosmic search leads to black hole rethink

New theory of stealth dark matter may explain universe's missing mass

Scientists build wrench 1.7 nanometers wide

Researchers uncover genetic basis for kin recognition in mice

Of brains and bones: How hunger neurons control bone mass