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The Worth of Wild Ideas
Even if a leading theory of consciousness is wrong, it can still be useful to science.
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When a Million-Acre National Park Becomes a Classroom
Hands-on fieldwork, cutting-edge science, and baboons who steal your lunch.
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The Sneaky Force Behind Our Sun’s Violent Outbursts
A strange discovery from flying close to the sun.
The Porthole
Short sharp looks at science
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Pangea’s Second Coming Won’t Be Chill
Today’s mammals would not survive the heat of Earth’s next supercontinent. But in evolution, there’s hope.
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The Tenacious Takahē
Once declared extinct, the world’s largest species of rail is returning to its former range in New Zealand.
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A Little Bit of Science Knowledge Is a Dangerous Thing
You might not know as much about science as you think.
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The Faulty Weathermen of the Mind
Could a theory from the science of perception help crack the mysteries of psychosis?
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The Psychopathic Path to Success
Turns out there can be a positive side to the psychopathic traits that may lurk inside all of us.
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Why Ships Kill Thousands of Whales Every Year
An interview with the documentary filmmaker who has spotlighted the deadly ocean collisions.
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Why Are Marine Mammals Losing Their Hair?
Spikes in alopecia puzzle scientists—and may be a symptom of ecological disruption.
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The Secret Life of Deep Sea Vents
An expedition to find rare hydrothermal vents at the bottom of the Mid-Atlantic uncovers new worlds—and some daredevil shrimp.
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Seahorse Love Works in Mysterious Ways
Seahorses don’t care if there’s plenty other fish in the sea.
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Salt Taste Is Surprisingly Mysterious
Too much sodium is bad, but so is too little—no wonder the body has two sensing mechanisms.
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Have We Gotten Dark Matter All Wrong?
Physicists have yet to pinpoint the hypothetical matter that keeps galaxies from flying apart. Now they have a new focus.
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The Day Oppenheimer Feared He Might Blow Up the World
The story behind the scare that an atomic bomb would ignite the atmosphere into a fireball.
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Probing the Mysteries of Neutron Stars With a Surprising Earthly Analog
Ultracold gases in the lab could help scientists better understand the universe.
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Fire on the Savanna
Our writer joins researchers in Mozambique to uncover how fire shapes Africa’s grand wilderness.
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What Is a Beautiful Experiment?
Finding beauty in science is timeless. But we shouldn’t let it blind us.
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How to Learn Without a Brain
Tiny box jellyfish are brainless—but they still make memories and adapt.
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A New Way to Make Cells from Scratch
How scientists are engineering synthetic cells to be more life-like.
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Alan Turing and the Power of Negative Thinking
Mathematical proofs based on a technique called diagonalization can be relentlessly contrarian, but they help reveal the limits of algorithms.
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Arts SPONSORED
The “Tortured Artist” Inside All Of Us
A conversation with issue 51 cover artist Jennifer Bruce.
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Where the Wild Bees Are
San Diego is a biodiversity hotspot for bees. Researchers need help documenting them.
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Pandas Feel “SAD” Too
Many animals suffer from seasonal affective disorder. Scientists are just figuring out what that means.
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What Will Justice for Climate Change Culprits Look Like?
A new novel grapples with vengeance toward global warming’s worst offenders.
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You’re More of a Climate Skeptic Than You Think
Here’s how psychology can help fix that. (It’s easier than you’d guess.)
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The Case Against Cooking with Gas
New evidence suggests electric stoves are better for people and the planet.
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Should You Ditch Your Eco-Friendly Drinking Straw?
Some of them contain materials that are harmful to human health.
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The Wisdom of a Brainless Robot
How a soft-bodied machine uses physical intelligence to navigate.
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Can We Stop Time in the Body?
Inside the “out there” quest for a drug that would help doctors save lives before it’s too late.
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What the Earth Knows
How understanding Earth’s deep past can lead us into our radically altered future.
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Pick Up Your Dog’s Poop or Else!
Science is coming after people who don’t give a @#$% about sidewalks.
