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Feeling Gravity’s Pull
Two theoretical physicists have a lively conversation about how abstract concepts can feel down-to-Earth.
The Porthole
Short sharp looks at science
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The Stealthy Assassin Robberfly
Don’t underestimate this slender predator from the British grasslands.
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Excavating a Language at the End of the World
How an old dictionary is revealing new perspectives on an Indigenous culture.
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When the Composer Is a Geneticist
Jenny Graves tired of singing about Adam and Eve. So she wrote a creation oratorio based on science.
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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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How to Find Baby Sharks
Where do shark moms give birth? Remarkably, scientists are just figuring it out.
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There Will Be Blood
Confronting the ethical and ecological dilemma over culling animals for conservation.
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The Lion Who Would Save the World
An anthropologist shows how bonding with another species could help humans come together.
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Consciousness, Creativity, and Godlike AI
American writer Meghan O’Gieblyn on when the mind is alive.
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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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An Artist on Why AI Isn’t the End of Art
A conversation with Issue 56 cover artist Chris Buzelli. -
Falling Down a Rabbit Hole in Real Life
Neurologists are just beginning to understand Alice in Wonderland syndrome. -
We’re Bad at Understanding Our Political Opponents
Even when we think we know them, we don’t. -
A Movie Camera for the Cosmos
The Rubin observatory will allow scientists to see how the cosmos has evolved over time. -
Our Morals Change with the Seasons
How our sense of what’s right and wrong fluctuates through the year. -
Our Memories Are Stored in Triplicate
Parallel copies allow recollections to be both stable and adaptable. -
The First Good Glimpse of the Earth’s Mantle
The deepest extract from the middle layer of the Earth offers a wonderland of insights. -
How Disease Really Spread in the Americas
New evidence suggests it was slower than we thought. -
Einstein’s Other Theory of Everything
After Einstein explained gravity as a consequence of curved spacetime, he tried to explain matter the same way. -
The Strange Rise of Daydreaming
Why people become addicted to fantasy lives. -
Crows Are Even Smarter Than We Thought
New evidence suggests the corvid family has surprising mental abilities. -
When Reality Came Undone
100 years ago, a circle of physicists shook the foundation of science. It’s still trembling. -
Placebo Science Is Rooted in Witch Hunts
How we learned to sort true from false in medicine. -
How Teacups and Demons Help Demystify Physics
The thought experiments illuminating black holes and other scientific problems. -
Can Trees Heal You?
How walking in the woods changes your brain. -
Helen Fisher Knew Love
She showed us the biology behind the rhyme and reason of our most intense feelings. -
The Harrowing and the Beautiful
In the darkest reality, this celebrated composer finds his voice. -
Out of Your Head
Exploring psychedelic experiences that seem wider than the brain. -
When Reality Feels Unreal
Why your life sometimes feels alien to you. -
The Reality Issue
What’s behind the curtain.
