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We Were Wrong About Online Algorithms
Three computer scientists disprove a long-standing idea about imperfect information.
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Thank Eve for Human Evolution
It’s females who vaulted biological hurdles and forged our evolutionary success.
The Porthole
Short sharp looks at science
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History’s Five Best Body Part Stories
Charles I’s neck bone, Queen Victoria’s armpit, and other fabulously gruesome medical tales.
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Queen of the Mob
Meerkats are famous for their teamwork, but it’s enforced by a matriarch with an iron fist.
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What Gets Enemies to Negotiate
The value of anger, guilt, and future thinking for finding common ground.
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Audio Feature: The Puzzle of Free Will
Tune in to an exploration of one of the great quandaries in science and philosophy.
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Yes, We Have Free Will. No, We Absolutely Do Not
A volley of new insights reignites the debate over whether our choices are ever truly our own.
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How a New Database Can Help Protect the Ocean
The Navigator project centralizes data about marine protected areas—and places with lesser protections—from around the world.
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What Should We Do With an Old Sea Shanty?
Grappling with the complicated legacy of an unexpectedly popular musical genre.
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Why Is Everything an Orchid?
Orchids were Darwin’s “abominable mystery.” They continue to elude science—and efforts to save them.
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The Astrophysicist Who Loves the Things We Cannot Know
A conversation with “rational mystic,” physicist Marcelo Gleiser.
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The Sneaky Force Behind Our Sun’s Violent Outbursts
A strange discovery from flying close to the sun.
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Have We Gotten Dark Matter All Wrong?
Physicists have yet to pinpoint the hypothetical matter that keeps galaxies from flying apart. Now they have a new focus.
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Digging for Our Origins in the Bone Beds of an African Park
In their search for the last common ancestor of chimps and humans, scientists at Gorongosa National Park are expanding the picture of early primate life.
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A Cyclone, a Flood, and a Very Big Park
How scientists harnessed disaster to chart a path for climate resilience.
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“The Killing of Animals Is a Matter of Pride”
In Kenya, a group of conservation scientists confront the cultural tradition of an indigenous tribe.
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A Mission to the Asteroid Psyche Is Her Dream Journey
Exploring outer and inner space with Lindy Elkins-Tanton.
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My 3 Greatest Revelations
The author on writing her new book, “Uncertain: The Wisdom and Wonder of Being Unsure.” -
A Peculiar Fish and an Evolutionary Mystery
What we can learn from the macabre diets of a curious species of cichlids. -
A New Way to Trigger a Tsunami
How historic records and new data uncovered the colossal underwater avalanche that unleashed a massive wave in 1650. -
Portrait of a Fractured Arctic
What the melting permafrost looks and sounds like to a scientist. -
Social Media Is Not Heroin
You may think you scroll too much, but psychologists caution against calling it an addiction. -
Fishing Gear on the Fashion Runway
Ghost nets that ensnarl and kill ocean wildlife get an artistic makeover. -
My 3 Greatest Revelations
The author on writing her new book “Curious Species: How Animals Made Natural History.” -
Yes, There Is a Science to Shopping
Five tips to help you navigate the holiday craze with cunning and skill. -
Giving Thanks for Whales
Some of our favorite stories about those marvelous marine mammals. -
You Can Have Too Much Transcendence
Just ask this religious scholar who took 73 high-dose LSD trips. -
Resurrecting an Extinct Animal as a Robot
A soft robot replica solves a mystery about the evolution of movement. -
The Virtues of Not Knowing
How relishing uncertainty can make us better thinkers and neighbors. -
Cryptographers Solve Decades-Old Privacy Problem
We are one step closer to fully private internet searches. -
My 3 Greatest Revelations
Joseph LeDoux on writing his new book, “The Four Realms of Existence: A New Theory of Being Human.” -
A Dubious Cure for Ocean Plastics
Popular removal methods might do more harm than good. -
Our National Parks in the Quiet of the Pandemic
While everybody else seemed to be making sourdough bread, 70-year-old photographer Andy Katz hit the road to capture “America’s greatest idea” in a new light. -
Psychology Lost a Great Mind
With his wife, Leda Cosmides, John Tooby transformed our understanding of human nature. -
These Cells Spark Electricity in the Brain. They’re Not Neurons
For decades, researchers have debated whether brain cells called astrocytes can signal like neurons. -
The Creeping Coral Killer
Aggressive algae have been spreading unnoticed across reefs throughout the tropics for decades. -
A Slow-Moving Disaster in California
More than 90 percent of coastal wetlands have been altered or destroyed. What’s next?
