Science

‘Thanks for Flying SpaceX’

After a successful splashdown, SpaceX is poised to take over the job of shuttling American astronauts to space.

• Marina Koren
• August 3, 2020

A Breakthrough Some Cosmologists Thought Would Never Come

A new theory of the universe’s structure might offer the most plausible alternative yet to dark matter.

• Charlie Wood and Quanta
• August 1, 2020

NASA Goes Looking for Tiny Ancient Martians

The newest Mars rover will avoid the places where life might be thriving right now and search for long-dead microbes instead.

• Marina Koren
• July 30, 2020

A New Solution to Climate Science’s Biggest Mystery

For the first time in 41 years, researchers have provided a new answer to one of the thorniest—and most fundamental—questions in Earth science.

• Robinson Meyer
• July 24, 2020

A Vaccine Reality Check

So much hope is riding on a breakthrough, but a vaccine is only the beginning of the end.

• Sarah Zhang
• July 24, 2020

A Faraway Solar System Is an Uncanny Reflection of Our Own

Astronomers have captured a strangely comforting scene 300 light-years from Earth.

• Marina Koren
• July 23, 2020

How NASA Launched a Revolution in Biology

The space agency was conceived as an answer to Sputnik, but it quickly became much more.

• Philip J. Hilts and Undark
• July 18, 2020

No One Has to Get Their Period Anymore

Menstruating is painful, expensive, and … unnecessary?

• Marion Renault
• July 17, 2020

A Mission to the Sun Left Just in Time

The spacecraft, launched earlier this year, has returned stunning views of our star.

• Marina Koren
• July 16, 2020

A Bomb in the Desert

Seventy-five years ago, America set off the world’s first nuclear explosion.

• Ian Bogost
• July 16, 2020

America Should Prepare for a Double Pandemic

COVID-19 has steamrolled the country. What happens if another pandemic starts before this one is over?

• Ed Yong
• July 15, 2020

A Canadian Province Killed 463 Wolves for No Good Reason

A study showed that culling wolves could save caribou. But a second group of researchers saw a flaw in that conclusion.

• Sabrina Imbler
• July 14, 2020

Artificial Lights Tell the Story of the Pandemic

Satellite views of Earth at night reveal the distinct imprint of humankind’s response to a fast-spreading virus.

• Marina Koren
• July 8, 2020

The Pandemic Experts Are Not Okay

Many American public-health specialists are at risk of burning out as the coronavirus surges back.

• Ed Yong
• July 7, 2020

Lockdowns Could Be the ‘Biggest Conservation Action’ in a Century

Acknowledging the virus’s silver linings can feel ghoulish. But mounting evidence suggests that we’re in the midst of an unprecedented roadkill reprieve.

• Ben Goldfarb
• July 6, 2020

The Dogs That Sniff Out 5,000-Year-Old Bones

Archaeologists are using canine assistants to uncover ancient remains.

• Jill Neimark and Sapiens
• July 5, 2020

The Week America Lost Control of the Pandemic

Sixteen states have reported record caseloads since Sunday.

• Robinson Meyer
• July 2, 2020

The Birdsong That Took Over North America

Since 2000, a strange new type of song in white-throated sparrows has spread across the continent at stunning speed.

• Sarah Zhang
• July 2, 2020

Stars Aren’t Supposed to Go Out Like This

When a massive star went missing, astronomers expected to find a supernova in its place. But there wasn’t one.

• Marina Koren
• July 1, 2020

A Dire Warning From COVID-19 Test Providers

U.S. coronavirus testing could fail again, as surging demand creates new backlogs and delays.

• Alexis C. Madrigal and Robinson Meyer
• June 30, 2020