Science Matters

NSF helps a 'scrappy bunch' of volunteers create a 3D digital version of a blue whale

June 21, 2021

The first 3D-scanned blue whale in North America and only the second in the world

Golden lobster shines light on impact of climate change on ‘blue economy’

June 15, 2021

A colorful character has become the mascot for a research program studying the impact of climate change on the economically important lobster fisheries of Maine. "Banana," a bright yellow lobster, was…

Nicole Yamese and Victor Vesover at bottom of Challenger Deep

#NSFStories: Voyage to the bottom of the sea

June 9, 2021

Twelve people have been to the moon, but until 2019, only three people had been to the deepest part of the ocean: Challenger Deep, a trench off the Mariana Islands that lies nearly 11 kilometers below…

Mysteries of the Seven Seas revealed through NSF funding

June 8, 2021

The ocean: Artists capture it in paint; poets in words. Beachgoers gaze at its vastness; researchers study its mysteries. Nearly 97% of the water on Earth is in its oceans. They affect the weather…

Climate change problem solvers: Startups with solutions

June 3, 2021

Climate change problem solvers: startups with solutions Startups funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation are creating technologies intended to reduce the impact of climate change. From reducing…

A cropped image of a woman in a lab coat using a pipette

Did the pandemic set women scientists back permanently?

June 2, 2021

By Geri Richmond, National Science Board member This past winter, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, a story made the rounds on social media: A science professor was forced to stop in the middle…

Science, art and culture: Cicadas impact our lives more than just once every 17 years

May 19, 2021

Over the next few weeks, trillions of cicadas will tunnel upward from deep underground after 17 years to live out their last days. They’ll shed their skin to become mature adults and within several…

IceCube: A decade in review

May 13, 2021

On May 13, 2011, the U.S. National Science Foundation's IceCube South Pole Neutrino Observatory took its first set of data --known as a physics run -- as a fully configured facility. Since then, the…

Researchers apply COVID-19 lessons to prevent future pandemics

May 12, 2021

Though other pandemics have affected the U.S. over the past 100 years, COVID-19 has been compared most often to the 1918 influenza pandemic in terms of its impact. Both events overwhelmed the health…

Graphic showing a desk with a phone and worksheets

NSF 101: Five tips for your Broader Impacts statement

May 3, 2021

How does your research impact society? Scientists and engineers funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation are accountable to taxpayers for conducting research, and collectively moving their…