After 30 Years of Breeding Condors, a Secret Comes Out
‘Virgin birth’ might be more common in animals than we thought.
Democrats Might Give Up on a Methane Tax, and Maybe That’s Okay
Instead of mourning the loss, some climate experts are simply shrugging it off.
Five Big Questions About COVID Vaccines for Kids
With FDA authorization for a kid-size COVID vaccine pending, a pediatrician and infectious-disease expert weighs in on what’s next.
Do You Even Lift, Embryo?
Cuckoos spend their early days murdering fellow nestmates. To pull it off, they start bodybuilding inside the egg.
A Dark-Matter Candidate Has Been Hiding in Plain Sight
Axions just make so much sense.
This Isn’t the Big Telescope Debut NASA Imagined
The James Webb Space Telescope, the long-awaited successor to Hubble, is mired in controversy over its namesake.
The Animal Kingdom Is Full of Genetic Screwballs
All sorts of creatures jettison parts of their own DNA, and scientists have no idea why.
The Real Scandal About Ivermectin
Claims about the drug are based on shoddy science—but that science is entirely unremarkable in its shoddiness.
No One Will Stop You From Getting Whatever Booster You Want
The CDC indicated that it would move toward a hands-off stance: Booster-eligible people should stick with one brand, but may mix and match at will.
African Elephants Evolved Tusklessness Amazingly Fast
But at what cost?
The Good Part About ‘Waning’ Immunity
You might have fewer antibodies now. But they’re better than the ones you started with.
The Key Insight That Defined 50 Years of Climate Science
A climate scientist has won the Nobel Prize in Physics for the first time. It’s a reminder that the field, which emerged from the mid-20th century’s biggest questions, hasn’t always been fraught.
The Mystery of Why Our Ancestors Left Africa
An enduring scientific debate is about humanity’s past—and its future.
The Volcanologist’s Paradox
Studying powerful eruptions means witnessing beauty and tragedy in the same moment.
‘I Don’t Know That I Would Even Call It Meth Anymore’
Different chemically than it was a decade ago, the drug is creating a wave of severe mental illness and worsening America’s homelessness problem.
Biden Cannot Declare Victory on Climate Without One of These Policies
And the chances of passing either are getting slimmer.
The Children of Sperm Donors Want to Change the Rules of Conception
Does everyone have a right to know their biological parents?
We Accidentally Solved the Flu. Now What?
America has a choice to make.
The Cost of William Shatner’s ‘Most Profound Experience’
The actor got his oldest-in-space record for free, but most commercial astronauts will have to pay for their historic milestones.
The Energy Crunch, in Six Paragraphs
Governments and companies have built the global energy system around natural gas almost without a second thought. Now it’s costing them.