How Crocodiles Survived the Asteroid That Killed the Dinosaurs
They knew the most important rule in real estate
To See the World Through a Kaleidoscope of Butterflies
This writer was transformed by her “foolish” quest to chase butterflies in Denmark
Drinking Tea May Reduce Vascular Disease Risk
But there’s a catch
The World’s Largest Penguin Colony Suffers Catastrophic Loss
Something is amiss in Antarctica
Latest Stories
63 Years Ago This Week, Félicette Became the First Cat in Space
She’s still the only feline to have the honor
Primates Also Become Germophobes After Living Through a Viral Outbreak
And it could shed light on the evolutionary origins of disgust
Read Stories from Our Newest Print Issue: The Stupid Issue
See moreThe Elegance of a Stupid Question
Are computers in mathematics rewriting the definitions of stupid and smart?
The Resistance Is Here
They didn’t plan to be activists. But scientists have united to overturn Trump’s drastic cuts to science.
The Return of a Discredited Pseudoscience
Eugenics is rearing its ugly head again in today’s crucible of politics and culture
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Cutting-edge science, unraveled by the brightest living thinkers.
Astronomy
See more AstronomyAre Our Hearts Strong Enough to Get to Mars?
Prolonged space travel can wreak havoc on the circulatory system
“It Feels Like Something Out of Science Fiction”: Astronomers Find First Green Star
The universe just got a little more colorful
History
See more HistoryThis Is the Oldest Peace Treaty Ever Discovered
Maybe there are a few things we can still learn from it
Thousands of Fancy Dishes Have Survived a 2,100-Year-Old Shipwreck
You probably wouldn’t want to eat off them though
Psychology
See more Psychology
Why Forgive and Forget is Bad Advice
A conversation with MacArthur fellow Felipe de Brigard about how forgiveness reshapes the memory of atrocity
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Environment
See more EnvironmentThis Giant Waterlily Species Was Discovered Via Instagram
They can grow to more than 6 feet in diameter
Zoology
See more Zoology
Philosophy
See more PhilosophyCould AI Have Consciousness That Isn’t Human-Like?
Philosopher Peter Godfrey-Smith on AI consciousness and existential risk
What a Picture of a Dog Has to Do with Reason and Logic
People who can’t see images in their minds challenge an old philosophical standby
What Makes Humans Stupid
It takes intelligence to get things spectacularly wrong. An essay on our undoing.
The Most Unsettling Books We Know
Scientists and artists tell us about the book that scared them to the core
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Longevity Research Has a Bullshit Problem
How impossible ages, lost paperwork, and invented biographies become scientific fact
How Our Brains Read Emotions in Other People
This multisensory process engages many brain networks at once
Early Humans in America Endured Climate Chaos
Footprints found at White Sands, New Mexico, were dated to the height of the last ice age
Americans Who Go to Church and Trust Science Are Also More Likely to Believe in Ghosts and Curses
The church of the supernatural
Can We Ditch BMI for an Obesity Index That Predicts Disease Risk Better?
It’s ridiculously simplistic and nearly two centuries old
Replacing Just 10 Percent of Ultra‑processed Foods with Whole Foods Linked to Drop in Bowel Cancer Rate
Examples of ultra processed foods include many supermarket breads, cured meats and some breakfast cereals
