Nature and Science
•Animals, plants, planet •Small, digestible science explanations

Why bread yeast bubbles leave honeycomb holes in dough
You slice into a loaf and there they are: little tunnels and round holes, sometimes even a lacy honeycomb. This isn’t one single local tradition.

How glowworms choreograph light to catch flying insects
Light that acts like a trap If you walk into a damp cave or a shaded creek bank at night, you can sometimes see a line of tiny blue-green points hovering.

The rock in a backyard that turned out to be a meteorite and what it revealed
A rock that doesn’t fit the rest of the yard Most backyard rocks are only interesting because they’re heavy.

How touch-me-not plants fling seeds with a springy snap
That snap isn’t the leaves If you’ve ever brushed past a sensitive plant and heard a faint pop, it’s easy to assume the leaf movement is the whole trick.

How gut microbes change after a course of antibiotics
Why antibiotics can change digestion fast A lot of people notice something small after antibiotics: different bowel habits, more gas, a new food that.

The bacteria discovered chewing plastic in ocean gyres
What people mean by “plastic-eating bacteria” People rarely ask what “chewing plastic” would even look like in the open ocean.

How hummingbirds hover by twisting their wings
Seeing a bird stop in midair At a backyard feeder in places like Arizona or Southern California, a hummingbird can look like it hits pause.

Why weeds often sprout between sidewalk cracks
Why it happens in the first place On almost any walk, you’ll spot it: a thin line of green pushing up between two slabs of concrete.

How pitcher plants dissolve insects with acid and enzymes
A leaf that acts like a stomach If you walk through a bog in North Carolina’s Green Swamp, you can find plants that don’t just trap insects.

Why comet tails always point away from the Sun
A small contradiction you notice in photos If you look at comet photos for long enough, one detail keeps nagging at you.









