In Kelly Lambert's lab at the University of Richmond, rats are trained to drive tiny cars. Researchers are studying how that training, and the anticipation associated with it, affects their brains. University of Richmond hide caption

Embers are blown off a burning tree as the Eaton Fire burns in Altadena, Calif. As of Thursday morning, the fire had ballooned to 10,600 acres. Red flag warning have been extended through Friday for wind-prone areas. Nic Coury/AP hide caption

A robot roams through rows of grapes at Cornell AgriTech's Geneva vineyards to look for signs of diseased plants. Allison Usavage/Cornell University hide caption

Aboard the International Space Station, astronauts cut their hair using a pair of electrical sheers connected to a vacuum. NASA astronaut Frank Rubio says, "It's not a pretty haircut, for sure." Getty Images hide caption

Matter and its weird, opposite antimatter annihilate each other "in a blaze of glory," says Jessica Esquivel, an experimental particle physicist at Fermilab. PeteDraper/Getty Images hide caption

Following his presidency, former President Carter devoted much of his life to creating a better world through attention to global health challenges, particularly "neglected" tropical diseases. The Carter Center hide caption

Molecular ecologist Devaki Bhaya studies communities of microbes that live in the colorful hot springs of Yellowstone National Park. Peter Unger/Getty Images hide caption

What happens to biodiversity when people abandoned farmland? Ecologist Gergana Daskalova is studying abandoned lands in her home country, Bulgaria to find out. Dan Charles hide caption