Science

A Hint About How Life Made It Onto Land

Our fishy ancestors might have gotten a cognitive boost just by leaving the water.

• Katherine J. Wu
• June 15, 2021

Immune Cells Are More Paranoid Than We Thought

Healthy birds watched their friends get sick with a bacterial disease. Their immune cells freaked out.

• Katherine J. Wu
• June 8, 2021

Coronavirus Variants Have Nowhere to Hide

Our tests will need frequent touch-ups to make sure that no mutations get past them.

• Katherine J. Wu
• June 7, 2021

One More Reason to Admire Elephant Trunks

New research confirms that elephant trunks don’t just blow—they can also suck.

• Katherine J. Wu
• June 1, 2021

What Breakthrough Infections Can Tell Us

Post-vaccination infections reveal how effective vaccines are—and which variants are sneaking past our defenses.

• Katherine J. Wu
• May 27, 2021

Can Electric Fish Talk Like Obama?

Yes, they can.

• Katherine J. Wu
• May 26, 2021

COVID-19 Vaccine Makers Are Looking Beyond the Spike Protein

It’s time for more weapons in the shots-versus-virus arms race.

• Katherine J. Wu
• May 21, 2021

The Never-Aging Ants With a Terrible Secret

A parasite gives its hosts the appearance of youth, and an unmatched social power in the colony.

• Katherine J. Wu
• May 18, 2021

The Body’s Most Embarrassing Organ Is an Evolutionary Marvel

And yet we have very little idea where anuses come from.

• Katherine J. Wu
• May 18, 2021

Pay No Attention to That Cat Inside a Box

Seriously, stop it.

• Katherine J. Wu
• May 12, 2021

The J&J Rescue Mission Starts With a Choice

The reputation of all COVID-19 vaccines hinges on improving perceptions of the Johnson & Johnson shot.

• Katherine J. Wu
• May 7, 2021

A Bird’s Stinky Egg Is Actually a Humblebrag

Female hoopoes will paint their eggs with a brownish goo, in a bid for greater male attention.

• Katherine J. Wu
• May 4, 2021

Show Your Immune System Some Love

Antibodies are great and all, but macrophages, B cells, and helper T cells deserve some attention too.

• Katherine J. Wu
• April 22, 2021

A Tiny Ant Brain Is Still Too Big for Reproduction

Disturbingly light is the head that wears the crown.

• Katherine J. Wu
• April 13, 2021

The Biggest Party of 2021 Is About to Start

Billions of bugs will soon burst out of the ground to begin the mass gathering of a lifetime. It’s hard not to feel jealous.

• Katherine J. Wu
• April 5, 2021

Vaccine Cheat Days Are Adding Up

Vaccinated and unvaccinated people are getting more lax with behavior at a time when vigilance really matters.

• Katherine J. Wu
• April 4, 2021

Pregnant? Breastfeeding? The Vaccine Might Protect You and Your Baby

Antibodies that cross the placenta or end up in milk could give infants temporary immunity to COVID-19.

• Katherine J. Wu
• March 31, 2021

Long-Haulers Are Pushing the Limits of COVID-19 Vaccines

People with long COVID were left out of vaccine trials. They are now navigating the new shots on their own.

• Katherine J. Wu
• March 25, 2021

Don’t Be Surprised When Vaccinated People Get Infected

Post-immunization cases, sometimes called “breakthroughs,” are very rare and very expected.

• Katherine J. Wu
• March 19, 2021

You’re Not Fully Vaccinated the Day of Your Last Dose

Patience, grasshopper.

• Katherine J. Wu
• March 17, 2021