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Recreating the Smells of History
Using chemistry, archival records and AI, scientists are reviving the aromas of old libraries, mummies, and battlefields
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Can Morality Survive Climate Collapse?
Megha Majumdar’s acclaimed novel A Guardian and a Thief explores a near-future where scarcity forces hard choices
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What Would Richard Feynman Make of AI Today?
The scientific sage was always suspicious of grand promises delivered before details were understood
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Grad Student Homebrews Cosmic Dust in the Lab
“It’s like we have recreated a little bit of the universe in a bottle in our lab”
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How the “Atlantic Grand Canyon” Came to Exist
New research sheds light on the mysterious underwater structure
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Short sharp looks at science
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Space Exploration Speaks to the Core of Who We Are
Astrobiologist Caleb Scharf’s 3 greatest revelations while writing his latest book, The Giant Leap
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Crick and Watson Did Not Steal Franklin’s Data
Matthew Cobb’s 3 greatest revelations while writing his book Crick: A Mind in Motion
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Ann Druyan on How NASA’s Golden Records Got Made
A comic about humanity’s love letter to interstellar space
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We’re Evolving Beyond This Rock Right Now
Life is already busy making its transition to being interplanetary
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Naked Clams and Sunken Ships
A brazen plan to grow an animal that has been the bane of sailors for centuries—to feed the world
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The Problem with Farmed Seafood
We’re decimating the ocean to feed farmed fish. But an innovative solution has surfaced.
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The Hidden Landscape Holding Back the Sea
The fate of our planet’s coasts rests on Antarctic bedrock
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Gaia’s Got a Fever
An aging Earth, like an aging body, is increasingly vulnerable to heat’s fatal strikes
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Genetic Ancestry Doesn’t Tell Your Whole Story
If you’re looking for your genetic origin story, your DNA will only take you so far.
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AI’s Innate Bias Against Animals
Chatbots and robots are a setback to animal welfare—but have the potential to be a step forward
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The Psychedelic Scientist
High on ayahuasca, Bruce Damer saw how life on Earth began. He may very well be right.
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The Confabulations of Oliver Sacks
A neurologist reckons with recent revelations about the celebrated doctor and author
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He Erased Memory in Mice. Then Thought About Erasing His Own
Sunk in grief and alcoholism, this neuroscientist discovered the power of memory in himself
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To Be More Creative, Immigrate
Creativity flourishes when people cross borders—and when those borders blur through deep, human connection
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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
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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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The Birds That Roamed New Zealand a Million Years Ago
Early Pleistocene cave fossils reveal unique avifauna that were ultimately wiped out by natural disasters -
How Brain-Scanning Earbuds Could Build the Perfect Playlist
The scientific quest for a playlist that’s all killer, no filler -
Baby Sauropods Were the Potato Chips of the Jurassic Era
“Life was cheap in this ecosystem” -
The Geomagnetic Storm That Sparked Panic Across a Continent
And how it would affect us now -
Pink Noise Could be Ruining Your Sleep
New research shows the popular sleep sound could be doing more harm than good -
How These Caterpillars Use Their Body Hair to Listen for Danger
They may dodge predatory wasps by twitching away at the sound of their approach -
How Dissociation Blunts Trauma
The most elusive mental health condition is more common than we thought -
Ancient Jokes Etched in Clay
These millennia-old punchlines aren’t exactly gut-busters today -
When German Shepherds Got Their Cursed Genes
DNA from museum specimens help detail the genetic bottleneck -
The Devastating Disease Neglected for Decades
Despite high-tech new therapies, people with sickle cell anemia still encounter stigma today -
Sex Changes the Brains of Male Mice
“What surprised us here was the clarity of the signal” -
The First Time Tobacco Executives Admitted Smoking Is Bad for You
The moment the science finally came to light -
What Sets Off Bomb Cyclones
This storm category includes some nor’easters, which seem likely to grow even more chaotic in coming decades -
Your Lifespan May Depend Much More on Genes Than Previously Thought
Research published today shows a bigger impact of genetics on aging than previously thought -
Why Waiting in Line Makes Stuff Seem More Valuable
New research explains why we like hard-earned rewards more -
What Brown-Colored Lake Water Does to Fish
Some populations of important fish respond better to it than you’d think -
These Animals Are Expertly Adapted to the Cold
Some species wield natural antifreeze to survive brutal temperatures -
Why Middle-Aged Americans Can’t Find Happiness
Welcome to the real midlife crisis in the US -
How Richard Feynman Found the Root of the Challenger Disaster
The famed physicist’s persistence led him to uncover shocking failures -
New Study Throws a Wrench in Our Understanding of Memory
Some types of memories may not be stored as differently as we thought
