COVID Science Is Moving Backwards
We’ve let the data slip away.
Life Up Close
Detective Fiction Has Nothing on This Victorian-Science Murder Mystery
William Saville-Kent was a pioneering coral photographer. Was he also hiding a grisly secret?
Only English Would Try to Shorten a Word This Way
There’s something very unusual about the shortened form of usual.
Cocaine Bear: Why?
Of course you want to watch a movie about a bear on drugs.
The Year Without Germs Changed Kids
Children who spent their formative years in the bleach-everything era will certainly have different microbiomes. The question is whether different means bad.
The Transcendent Brain
Humans are evolutionarily drawn to beauty. How do such complex experiences emerge from a collection of atoms and molecules?
The ‘Mother of the Year’ Who Starved for 53 Months
In 2014, an octopus made headlines for starving herself while protecting her eggs. Why does she remind me of my mom?
Underground Cables Are Taking the Planet’s Pulse
Geologists are using fiber optics to monitor earthquakes, volcanoes, and traffic noise.
Fur Seals Made a Tremendous Comeback. That Might Be a Problem.
The once-endangered species is now wreaking havoc on coastal vegetation, putting Antarctica at risk.
The Most Overhyped Space Movie
2001: A Space Odyssey is prescient, beautiful, and entirely unsatisfactory.
Dolphins Might Have Elite Spice Tolerance
Chili-pepper-laced fishing nets can’t keep the marine predators away.
The World Could Be Entering a New Era of Climate War
Runaway climate change once seemed like it could spur violence. Now a different risk has emerged.
Thanksgiving’s Most Underrated Food
All hail the sweet potato.
An Evolutionary Magic Trick Is Popping Up Everywhere
‘Supergenes’ bend the rules of evolution.
How Much Would You Pay to Save Your Cat’s Life?
For $15,000, you can get your pet a new kidney.
The Galápagos’s Secret Weapon Against Climate Change
An oceanic cold spot breathes life into the archipelago. How long can it last?
You’ve Almost Certainly Been Duped by a Bird
The world’s best vocal mimics put human talents to shame.
Wait, Why Wasn’t There a Climate Backlash?
Joe Biden's energy balancing act really worked.
NASA’s Overshadowed Moon Launch
After a successful takeoff, a crewless capsule is on its way to the moon. Where’s the fanfare?
America Just Shrugged Off Biden’s Big Climate Law
Democrats braced for a midterm backlash to the Inflation Reduction Act. It never came.
The Quest to Make the Best Worst Cup of Coffee
Robusta is more sustainable than arabica, but it suffers from a noxious reputation. Can experimental roasters make an unloved bean into the “smoky scotch” of coffees?
Everyone Has an Octopus Opinion
Deciphering the behavior of cephalopods can be messy.