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Mind
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Women in Science & Engineering
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Doing Science and Philosophy On Drugs
Justin Smith-Ruiu takes a philosophical and first-person look at psychedelics
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Watch How Water Bears Can Survive in Martian Dirt
There’s a way for the tiny resilient creatures to thrive even on the red planet
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Laughing Off Your Mistakes Makes You Seem More Competent
“People often overestimate how harshly others judge their minor social mistakes”
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Short sharp looks at science
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What Do You Get When You Cross a Tardigrade with a Space Pioneer?
A little genetic engineering could help future space settlers survive the challenges of off-world living
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How Animal Suffering Can Ruin Lab Experiments
Larry Carbone on his 3 greatest revelations while writing The Hidden Lives of Lab Animals
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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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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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The Birth of Light
Long since flared out, echoes from the universe’s very first stars could be reaching us today
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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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The Books That Blew These Scientists’ Minds
12 leading researchers tell us about the book that opened a new world for them
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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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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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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 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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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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New Jellyfish Species Gets Its Michelin Star Moment
The newly described species went mislabeled for years -
The Surprising Reason Female Caribou Grow Antlers
Shed antlers offer a valuable mineral supplement for moms -
60,000-Year-Old Ostrich Eggshells Depict Ancient Human Thoughts
Homo sapiens were grooving on geometry in the Stone Age -
Astronomers Capture Largest Image of Milky Way Ever
“It’s a place of extremes, invisible to our eyes, but now revealed in extraordinary detail” -
Early Exposure to Junk Food Has Brain-Altering Effects
That first hit of burger and fries can leave quite the impression -
Bedbugs Fear Water
Because their ancestors evolved in dry places -
Here’s Why Locusts Swarm
The insects undergo a Jekyll-and-Hyde transformation -
Physicists Crack the Question of Why Basketball Shoes Squeak
It’s all about the ridges -
Do These Centenarians Hold the Key to Long Life in Their Blood?
New research identifies key proteins linked to longevity -
The Vibes Have Been Off in the US for Decades
New survey analysis reveals a sense of national deterioration -
How Horses Make Two Sounds at Once
And what that says about their prowess as communicators -
Mosquitoes Developed a Taste for Human Blood Before We Existed
About 2 million years ago, they evolved to feed on Homo erectus -
The Surprising Benefits of Yo-Yo Dieting
The body keeps the score -
Mass Grave of Women and Children Shows Brutality of Iron Age Culture
This recent archaeological find tells a chilling story -
Your Muscles Retain Memories of Strength and Weakness
New research sheds light on changing gene expression patterns in muscle cells -
Why You’re More Likely to Develop AI-Psychosis than to Join a Cult
Philosopher Lucy Osler on the insidious appeal of AI Chatbots -
Imaging the Most Far-Out Jellyfish Galaxy Ever Observed
… and shaking up our view of the universe 8.5 billion years ago -
Night Owls Could Be Putting Their Heart Health at Risk
New research links late nights and low cardiovascular health scores -
Researchers Map Uranus’ Atmosphere in Stunning Detail
The James Webb Space telescope captured stunning images of the ice giant -
New Blood Test Could Predict When Alzheimer’s Symptoms Will Present
Researchers have been on a quest for simple, reliable Alzheimer’s tests for years
