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Our Dark, Unvaccinated Future
Diseases that cause suffocation, paralysis, and childhood death are poised to come surging back
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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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Does Musical Taste Narrow with Age?
What 450 million song plays tell us about how our listening habits evolve
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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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Rogue Wave Mystery Solved
Each leviathan of the deep has a signature that can be used to forecast it -
These Carnivorous Bats Are Softies
They are fond of cuddle balls and rear their children for years -
Meet the Asteroids Next Door
A radar system is set to map near-Earth objects as they fly by -
When Nature Burst Into Vivid Color
Which came first: colorful signals or the color vision needed to see them? -
When Your Father Is a Magician, What Do You Believe?
A childhood spent under the spell of sleight-of-hand taught me skepticism, curiosity, and the habit of looking beneath appearances -
You Can Help NASA Track Hurricane Damage
Cell phone photos can help in recovery efforts -
This Forest Survived a Megafire
Saving it involved destroying it twice -
Cities Obey the Laws of Living Things
All towns, big and small, are animals -
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 -
These Early Humans Walked 8 Miles for the Perfect Rock
The quest for better tools is more ancient than we thought -
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