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Bustling Through the Physics of Crowds
A comic uses fluid dynamics to explain how groups of people move—and how that could help make large gatherings safer.
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Medicine Is Going Viral
Once lost in scientific obscurity, bacteriophage therapy is making a comeback.
The Porthole
Short sharp looks at science
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Rats in Vests Sniff Out Wildlife Trade
They can identify pangolin scales, rhino horn, and elephant ivory.
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Can Ecstasy Save a Marriage?
A new wave of experimental therapy is enlisting MDMA in relationship counseling.
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Feeling Gravity’s Pull
Two theoretical physicists have a lively conversation about how abstract concepts can feel down-to-Earth.
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Lucy at 50
Donald Johanson reflects on his fossil discovery that shook the human family tree a half century ago.
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The Anatomical Quirk That Saved Dr. No
A wild tale of how scientists unraveled embryology’s most fascinating mystery.
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How the Occult Gave Birth to Science
For scientists of yore anything—from mermaids to alchemy—was on the table.
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Why We Ghost
The psychology of people who cut off all communication—and how that affects their partners.
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How We Solved the Hole in the Ozone
A scientist’s first-hand account shows the world can tackle a global environmental crisis.
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The Strange Romance of Seahorses
A marine biologist and photographer gets up close and personal with mysterious pygmy seahorses.
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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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Climate vs. Invasive Species
Which foe is looming largest for native plants along the Yangtze River? -
And New Yorkers Think the Gowanus Canal Is Bad
Scientist Michael Faraday’s 1855 letter about the “feculence” of the River Thames. -
Yes, We Can Care About People Who Don’t Exist Yet
How to jumpstart our empathy for future generations. -
Subverting Reality Through Art
A conversation with artist Tim O’Brien. -
Life Will Find a Way
A new exhibition highlights the persistence of organisms from lichens to polar bears to us. -
Whale Sharks on Collision Course
As oceans warm, marine creatures are moving into shipping lanes. -
The Demolition Ants
The wood ant stalks its prey in colonies of thousands. -
Solving the Riddle of Ceres
New evidence suggests the dwarf planet was a muddy ocean world that froze over time. -
The Mystery of the Cave Cats
Ice age skeletons could reveal secrets of small cat evolution. -
Death By Plastic
The blunt impact of ocean pollution, in one photograph. -
What Language Reveals About Us
Julie Sedivy on the 3 greatest revelations she had while writing her new book Linguaphile. -
“This Is a Great Day with Me”
Alexander Graham Bell reflects on the very first telephone call in a letter to his father. -
The Most Detailed Brain Map Ever
Scientists have created a magnificent portrait of every connection among neurons in a fruit fly’s brain. -
Nihilism with a Purpose
Rachel Kushner’s Creation Lake reveals why politics won’t save us. -
How Reality Shapes Our Language—and Vice Versa
A conversation with UCLA philosophy professor Josh Armstrong. -
7 of the World’s Strangest Plants
These plants feature some seriously funky adaptations. -
Light Pollution Is Making Fish Anxious
The next generation is still feeling the effects. -
A Crystal Forest
A scientist’s failed experiment yields a contest-winning photo. -
When Earth Had Rings
A new way of thinking about the history of the Earth. -
Flowers and the Birth of Ecology
Without flowers, there would be no us.
