Don’t Miss Saturn in All its Glory This Weekend
And the Orionids later in the month
Ancient Pocket Change Reveals Special Status of Rome’s “Little Englanders”
These pilgrims didn’t have to secure travel money
A Look at How Many Cancers Are Caused by Infections Worldwide
Nearly one in eight cancers are caused by a pathogen
Where Did the “Social Magic” Go?
A conversation with an Icelandic sociologist about the paradox of connection in our digital age
This Real-Life Sea Monster is Controlled by Joysticks
Its unique hypnotic movements are inspiring roboticists
Latest Stories
Your Speech May Contain Hidden Information About How Fast You’re Aging
What you say truly isn’t as important as how you say it
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 Astronomy
One of Saturn’s Moons Could Support Life—And It Might Be Easy to Find
Two new studies are giving planetary scientists hope
History
See more HistoryHow a Horse Flu Outbreak Spurred an Early Animal Rights Crusade
In 1872, New York’s devastating epizootic gave the ASPCA’s young founder a powerful moral argument for animal protection
How Do You Read Ancient Charred Scrolls? Make Your Own
A new technique could unlock the secrets of the Herculaneum scrolls
Psychology
See more PsychologyEnvy at the Ballot Box
Majority voting may make us less willing to tolerate advantages for others
I’m Part of the Team Writing the Next Bible of Psychiatry—For the First Time, the DSM Will Use Biology to Understand Mental Disorders
Part of the challenge of finding a biomarker for mental illness is the environment’s significant influence
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Environment
See more EnvironmentOne Giant Clam Contains a Month‑by‑Month Diary of the Great Barrier Reef’s Climate 200 Years Ago
An under-the-sea autobiography
Astronaut Photos Taken Just 13 Years Apart Show a Major Shift in City Lights
We’ve moved on from the golden glow
This New “Devil Flower” Species Doesn’t Photosynthesize
It’s a rare plant with an “enigmatic and devil-like essence”
Zoology
See more Zoology
What Do You Know About the Deep-Sea Barbie Pig?
What about the Ping Pong Sponge? The Casper the Ghost Octopus? The Gummy Squirrel?
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.
“Morally Binding” AI Safety Pledge Mocked
AI Safety experts seem to agree the companies can’t self-regulate, and the new White House accord lacks teeth
Read more
See all postsWho Is Claude Trying to Kid?
Confessing to being mechanical is the most mechanical trick of all
Aging Muscle Has a Hidden Molecular Switch
Uncovering the paradox behind the shift from fast to slow twitch muscle fibers
Ice Age Spear Points Tell a Fascinating Story of Human Progress
What do we keep, and what do we throw away?
Do Transplanted Hearts Assume the Age of Their New Host?
Experiments in humans and mice suggest a way to make more organs available for transplant, but may squash a theory of rejuvenation
The Sleep Cycle of Ideas, Seeded Dream Poems, and the Queen of Dinosaurs: 8 Books We’re Excited to Read This October
The Nautilus monthly reading list
How Snail Shells Could Be Used to Map Prehistoric Cyclones
There are weather patterns locked in those swirls
Famed Dancer’s Diary Offers Glimpse into Psychosis
It’s rare to have a record of someone’s descent into madness
How Menopause Symptoms Could Predict Alzheimer’s Risk
It may explain why women develop the disease more than men
