Art+Science
Biology + Beyond
Cosmos
Culture
Earth
Life
Mind
Ocean
One Question
Quanta Abstractions
Rewilding
Science at the Ballot Box
Science Philanthropy Alliance
Spark of Science
The Animal Issue
The Climates Issue
The Kinship Issue
The Porthole
The Reality Issue
The Rebel Issue
Women in Science & Engineering
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In the Land of the Eyeless Dragons
The cave-dwelling olm is a canary in the coal mine for environmental change
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Visit the 7 Most Extreme Planets in the Universe
From molten glass rain to oceans of lava, an intergalactic tour of the most terrifying and beautiful climates out there
The Porthole
Short sharp looks at science
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Here’s Why Binge-Watching Is Good for You
Rabidly consuming TV shows, movies, or books could make us more imaginative and able to cope with stress
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These Early Humans Walked 8 Miles for the Perfect Rock
The quest for better tools is more ancient than we thought
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Can Humanity Stem the Plastic Tide?
Plastic pollution is costing the world $1.5 trillion a year in health-related losses
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This Cloud Forest Should Not Exist
The story of an Ecuadorean forest that fought annihilation and won
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Hope Catches a Tailwind
Dona Bertarelli brings her intimate knowledge of the high seas to advocate for conserving ocean ecosystems
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AI Already Knows Us Too Well
Chatbots profile our personalities, which could give them the keys to drive our thoughts—and actions
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What We Misunderstand About Robots
Sci-fi master Adrian Tchaikovsky on evolution, other minds, and the politics of science
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Is It Cake? How Our Brain Deciphers Materials
Neuroscientists are discovering how this basic ability, essential to our survival, works
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How To Tell If You’re Dead
The line between life and death has never been clear—and modern technology blurs it further
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Evolution and Guinea Pig Toes
How one animal’s oddity inspired Sewall Wright to take on one of Darwin’s big ideas
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Stranger Things in the Universe
New data about dark energy is a reminder that cosmology is a never-ending story
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Neutron Stars Hint at Another Dimension
Are the mysterious stars clues to one of the greatest mysteries in the universe?
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The Sean Carrolls Explain the Universe
Why are we here? Is there life on other planets? The renowned scientists who share a name share their answers to life’s big questions.
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The Soviet Rebel of Music
He composed on a computer in a dangerous time. His echo is still heard today.
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How Whales Could Help Us Speak to Aliens
Learning to decode complex communication on Earth may give us a leg up if intelligent life from space makes contact.
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Wild Jaguars Caught in the Act
The first clip of a black jaguar mating in the wild could inform conservation efforts -
The Two-Body Problem for Women in Science
Can bends in spacetime accommodate a career in physics and a family? -
Putting Humans First Is Not Natural
Christine Webb on her 3 greatest revelations while writing The Arrogant Ape -
Why This 17-Year-Old Girl Can’t Forget
Some people have extraordinary powers of mental time travel -
The Female Artist Who Showed How Plants and Insects Relate
Her illustrations had a lasting impact on future botanical artists -
The First Sea-to-Space Chat
An astronaut-turned-aquanaut made history on a long-distance call with friends -
How to Run Across Death Valley in the Summer
Learning how to cope with heatwaves, from an ultrarunner -
Heart Attacks in Space
Effective CPR is hard when both patient and rescuer are floating -
When Ancient Sea Monsters Emerged
Peeking inside deep-sea rocks has offered a clearer timeline for an oxygen-fueled burst of animal evolution -
Reindeer Are Vanishing
A new study predicts massive population declines in the Arctic -
How Phantom Limb Tricks Us
New maps of the brain may explain why amputees feel pain in the void -
The Evolution of … Everything
From cells to cellphones, trial and error shapes it all -
Looking for Life’s Source on Ceres
The dwarf planet might have had a hot core and liquid oceans -
The Pleasure of Patterns in Art
The interplay between repetition and variation is central to how we enjoy creative work -
Sugar, the Secret Plant Thermostat
It could help plants grow at temperature extremes -
Origami Fit for the Cosmos
The traditional art of paper folding has long been used in space, but new flower-like patterns could be game-changers -
How Skinks and Honey Badgers Fight Snake Venom
Some animals evolved a remarkably similar trick to survive -
When Our World Was a Wasteland
During the Permian, Earth was without climate guardrails -
Looking at Art on Psychedelics
People took mushrooms, then studied famous paintings. Here’s what happened. -
The Cosmos Is Trying to Kill Us
Airbursts from space may be more common than we thought
