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What I’m Watching This Weekend

Considering connecting with cephalopods and plants might be just the thing for an exhausted mind

New Long-Necked Dinosaur Unearthed in Brazil Has European Roots

It’s the largest ever sauropod discovered in the area

For Every Patient Their Own Drug

Patients with exceedingly rare genetic diseases fall through the cracks of the medical system. This doctor is designing drugs for them, one at a time.

Hubble Captures Traveling Galaxy in Stunning Detail

And it’s in a group that includes our own Milky Way

Where Does Novelty Come From?

A conversation with paleobiologist Douglas Erwin about how novelty becomes true innovation in biological and cultural evolution

Latest Stories

A Century of David Attenborough

The unmistakable narrator of nature documentaries turns 100 today

These Whales Are Screaming in the Strait of Gibraltar

Critically endangered pilot whales struggle to communicate over the din of boats

From our latest print issue

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Saving the Girl with Dementia

It takes a family to drive research for a rare disease forward

When Scientists Are Dinosaurs 

At the paleontology conference, her new theory was shouted down

Chernobyl, 40 Years Later

A lot has changed at the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster

Kon-Tiki Set Sail 79 Years Ago Today

The most epic, pseudoscientific adventure ever

Rome Was Built Today

Celebrating the scientific and technical contributions of Rome on the mythical birthday of the eternal city

Does Sexual Attraction Cloud Our Rejection Detection?

The ability to read signals may be impaired by arousal

What Your Dream Life Says About You

A conversation with a dream researcher about how dream content and recall may reflect personality and thinking style

The Mix-up at the Heart of the Supreme Court’s Conversion Therapy Ruling

A psychiatrist on the crucial distinction the case glosses over, how media coverage has made it worse, and why that’s dangerous for LGBTQ+ youth

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Nature’s Overlooked Role in National Security

A conversation with an ecologist and a national security expert about the underappreciated risks posed by ecological disruption

Farewell to a Giant of Botany

Peter Raven, the transformative conservationist and father of “coevolution,” passed away this week

When a Species’ Survival Hinges on Every Single Embryo

The two female Northern white rhinos keeping the species alive

Mapping the Illegal Wildlife Trade Using Pangolin DNA

Genetic material from these improbable creatures helps pinpoint exploitation hot spots

These Beetles Might Be Flying Ubers for Worms

Trigger warning for anyone squicked out by wriggling masses of things

The Bad Seed and the Problem of Blame

A conversation with behavioral geneticist Kathryn Paige Harden about the heritability of vice

A Light in the Dark: Finding the Good in the Natural World

Is it absurd to think that science can inform our values?

How ‘Tiny Shortcuts’ Are Poisoning Science

Seemingly harmless data tweaks are undermining the integrity of the entire field. We must define the problem to prevent it

Most Bird Wings Aren’t Optimized for Flight

They’re flying on a wing and a prayer

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How to Build a Trustworthy Robot

A conversation with a robot researcher about a possible future where robots are like teammates in hospitals, factories, and homes

The Mysterious Hantavirus Outbreak That Put the Virus on the Western Map

More than 30 years ago, in the Four Corners region of the US, an Old-World pathogen was discovered in the New World

AI Music vs. My Parents

My folks were taken in by the latest algorithmic “artist,” and it scares me

10 Books We’re Excited About This May

Quantum physics, AI pals, and seagull attacks

Fruit Flies: Masters of Hypergravity

These insects not only survived gravity four times stronger than Earth’s, they thrived

The First Male Neanderthal Genome

Genetic insights from a 110,000-year-old individual recovered from a cave in Siberia

Our Human Ancestors Dined on Takeout

Why early hominins opted for the to-go option