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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
The Porthole
Short sharp looks at science
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The Hornbills Left Behind
Protecting Asian species may have shifted poachers’ focus to African birds
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How Ancient Beasts Spread Sweet Fruits
The native forests of South America were shaped by mastodons—and we’re doing a bad job filling their role
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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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Our Boiling Seas
Scientists are getting better at predicting marine heatwaves. But is it enough to save ecosystems and vulnerable species?
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How Fishing Could Change the Evolution of Fish
Our appetite for fish can alter their bodies, minds, and behaviors
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AI Could Help Humans Understand Animals
But are animal dictionaries enough to demystify the animal mind?
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Conspiracy Theorists Can Be Deprogrammed
AI-delivered evidence might be better at changing minds than you are
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My Visit with My Dead Father’s Brain
What I discovered about my dad and myself at the lab where his brain resides
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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 Extraordinary, Imperiled Science at the End of the Earth
Firing experts in Antarctica couldn’t come at a worse time
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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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I Bought a Robot Cat for My Rabbit
A TikTok experiment led me into a strange world of cyborg cockroaches, imposter fish, and the ethics of care
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We Are a Part of Infinity
A neuroscientist uncovers Albert Einstein’s little known spiritual journey
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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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How to Build a Planet from Dust
The answer is blowing in the (stellar) wind -
The Octopus Propaganda Hidden in Modern Maps
An old visual trick may promote conspiratorial thinking about global power -
If Oaks and Orchids Could Talk
Lucas Gutierrez wants to turn plant frequencies into a language humans can understand -
When Monsters Came for Mathematics
Adam Kucharski’s 3 greatest revelations while writing Proof: The Art and Science of Certainty -
Humpback Whales Are Way Cooler Than You
Just take a look at these smoke rings -
Clergy Blown Away by Psilocybin
A 10-year-old study finally comes into the light -
AI Has Already Run Us Over the Cliff
Cognitive neuroscientist Chris Summerfield argues that we don’t understand the technology we’re so eager to deploy -
Giant Plankton Snacks Could Keep Coral Resilient
When coral have enough to eat, they seem to endure warming waters -
Hunting For the Grandma of All Eukaryotes
The origins of life may lie in a mysterious life form at the bottom of the sea -
The Ancient Paths of an Iconic River
Vivid geological maps reveal the movement of the Mississippi -
Making Art Out of Heartbeats
Allan Kaprow’s Time Pieces invites participants to feel time through shared awareness -
Worm-Inspired Treatments Inch Toward the Clinic
Infection by certain wrigglers may reduce inflammation and fight obesity and diabetes -
Anchors Away from Antarctica
When ships drop anchor off the icy continent, they threaten some of the oldest animals on Earth -
Hold Your Applause …
…up to the microscope -
The Power of the Prairie
Author Josephine Marcotty on the 3 revelations she had while co-writing Sea of Grass -
The Ocean Odyssey of Wilson
An imaginary friend turned trash and a journey through climate change -
Do Bison Belong in Spain?
A fight is brewing -
A Tiny Star Poses Big Questions
A small red dwarf seems to have birthed a hulking gas giant, upending prevailing theories of planet formation -
A Truer Story of Native America
Pulitzer-winner Kathleen DuVal on Indigenous power in colonial times -
The Water Bear—from First Look to Facebook
250 years ago, a theologist looked under a microscope and discovered the “most peculiar” creature
