Not Even Free Money Can Fix a Carbon Tax
A carbon dividend seemed like a great way to solve climate politics. But it might not work.
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?
Omicron Is Driving Delta Into the Ground
But the older variant isn’t quite dead yet.
The Utility of White-Hot Rage
Living in the era of climate change might make us feel guilt, or grief, or anger. How do those who think about these problems every day keep going?
Astronomy’s Most Dazzling Era Is About to Begin
The James Webb Space Telescope is now about 1 million miles from Earth, and almost ready to scan the cosmos.
Idaho Is Sitting on One of the Most Important Elements on Earth
The clean-energy revolution is unleashing a rush on cobalt, reviving old mines—and old questions—in a remote forest.
How a Rare Brain Mutation Spread Across America
The Bowlin family knew they had a history of malformations in the brain. But they had no idea how far back it went.
How Can Something So Small Live So Long?
Ant queens break the rules of aging.
Satellites Are Spotting the Beached Whales We Never Would Have Found
Especially in remote areas, dead whales often go unnoticed until it’s too late to know what went wrong.
Why a Three-Dose Vaccine for Young Kids Might Actually Work Out
We still don’t know when exactly the shots are coming, but there’s reason to hope that vaccine makers’ current plans are on the right track.
Will Omicron Leave Most of Us Immune?
The variant is spreading widely, but won’t necessarily give us strong protection from new infections.
Lumber Prices Are off the Rails Again. Blame Climate Change.
“This is a supply-side problem. This is unlike any other market that any of us lumber traders have ever experienced.”
We Booped the Sun
For such a familiar celestial body, the sun is still very mysterious—but we’re getting closer to it than ever before.
A Human Can Befriend an Octopus. Can an Octopus Befriend a Human?
We still know very little about what goes on inside the mind of one of the ocean’s smartest creatures.
The Worst of the Omicron Wave Could Still Be Coming
A long descent from a peak in cases could exact a larger toll than even Omicron’s blistering ascent.
Calling Omicron ‘Mild’ Is Wishful Thinking
We are far past the point of hoping that this variant will spare us.
It’s Not Just Manchin
The 49 other Senate Democrats are making a reckless climate gamble too.
Omicron Is Forcing Us to Rethink Mild COVID
The staggering number of infections among the vaccinated is changing Americans’ pandemic mindset.
Lion Bones Are Popping Up in Some Very Unexpected Places
Archaeologists long assumed that the only lions on the continent were mythical. Then they started finding bones.
Even NASA Seems Surprised by Its New Space Telescope
The $10 billion mission is working better than anyone could have predicted.
COVID Isolation Is a Lot Like … Muffin Baking
Stay with me.
America’s COVID Rules Are a Dumpster Fire
If you’re confused by the CDC’s new isolation guidelines, you’re not the only one.