Science

Your Smart Toaster Can’t Hold a Candle to the Apollo Computer

Despite what everyone says about the power of modern devices, they’re nowhere near as capable as the landmark early NASA system.

• Alexis C. Madrigal
• 2:57 PM ET

The Watch That Went to the Moon

Fifty years ago, Buzz Aldrin wore his Omega Speedmaster Professional on the lunar surface. It’s been an icon—and a bestseller—ever since.

• Krishnadev Calamur
• 11:01 AM ET

Living in California Is Living on the Edge

For residents, the recent earthquakes are a reminder that the state is always poised on the brink of disaster.

• Todd S. Purdum
• Jul 15, 2019

The Moment That Made Neil Armstrong’s Heart Rate Spike

Real-time data from the Apollo 11 astronauts, carefully monitored by Mission Control, capture the frenzied maneuvers that put men on the moon.

• Marina Koren
• Jul 15, 2019

What John F. Kennedy’s Moon Speech Means 50 Years Later

“We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”

• Marina Koren
• Jul 15, 2019

What Will the Moon Landing Mean to the Future?

Nearly 50 years after Neil Armstrong first set foot on the lunar surface, it’s clear that Apollo 11 will haunt the human imagination for a long time to come.

• Ross Andersen
• Jul 15, 2019

Neanderthals Were About as Right-Handed as Modern Humans

In one study, at least 85 percent of Neanderthal tools appeared to be made for a user whose right side was dominant.

• Anna Goldfield and Sapiens
• Jul 14, 2019

To Survive in a Wetter World, Raise Ducks, Not Chickens

Farmers in Bangladesh are adapting to climate change, and it’s having an impact in faraway places—including on restaurant menus.

• Susannah Savage
• Jul 13, 2019

The Plan to Fix Climate Change in the Senate

Democrats are trying to do their prep work now so they can hit the ground running if they win a majority in 2021.

• Robinson Meyer
• Jul 12, 2019

A Groundbreaking Study Is Good News for Cats—And People

Researchers studying the cat-poop parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, made a breakthrough that will spare a lot of felines from research.

• Ed Yong
• Jul 11, 2019

IVF Mix-Ups Have Broken the Definition of Parenthood

When a New York woman gave birth to twins after IVF, neither baby was related to her, or to each other.

• Sarah Zhang
• Jul 11, 2019

Why Men Thought Women Weren’t Made to Vote

During the suffrage movement, conventional wisdom held that civic duty was bad for the ovaries.

• Marina Koren
• Jul 11, 2019

The Story of Humans and Neanderthals in Europe Is Being Rewritten

A 210,000-year-old skull is the oldest Homo sapiens fossil found outside Africa.

• Ed Yong
• Jul 10, 2019

The Air Really Was Cleaner Under Obama

Pollution is up nearly 14 percent under the Trump administration.

• Robinson Meyer
• Jul 9, 2019

The Bizarre Ways America’s First Spy Agency Tried to Overthrow Hitler

From undercover heiresses to hormone-injected vegetables, the early days of the Office of Strategic Services were marked by colorful hires and wild schemes.

• Sam Kean
• Jul 9, 2019

Not a Human, but a Dancer

What Snowball the parrot’s spontaneous moves teach us about ourselves

• Ed Yong
• Jul 8, 2019

The Pioneering Female Doctor Who Argued Against Rest

Physicians once advised menstruating women against mental exertion, fearing it would ravage their health.

• Marina Koren
• Jul 6, 2019

The Lost Nurdles Polluting Texas Beaches

Tiny plastic building blocks are spilled into oceans and waterways before they’re even made into plastic goods.

• Julissa Treviño and Undark
• Jul 5, 2019