Why It Might Be Time to Rethink the Human Family Tree
The way we classify humanity’s ancient relatives is a mess. But there’s a simple fix.
What a Blissful Psychedelic Trip Looks Like Inside the Brain
Personality and context shape the psilocybin experience in ways that show up on brain scans
Is Immortality Possible?
Nature has answered the same way for 3.5 billion years
TikTok Discovered a Blind, Pale, Worm-Like Fish
Researchers had a tough time locating it
An Astrobiologist’s Guide to the Best Sci-Fi Reads
Cosmic lesbian necromancers, cyberpunk Canterbury Tales, and so much more
Latest Stories
Why You Move Factors in to Whether It Protects You From Dementia
Movement for movement’s sake isn’t the safeguard you might think
Read Stories from Our Newest Print Issue: The Stupid Issue
See moreThe Trouble with Cancer Screening
Tests for cancer often lead to more confusion than clarity. Here’s how to understand them.
AI Made Me Look Foolish. Then I Learned
Ancient alchemy has a lot to teach us about chatbots
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Cutting-edge science, unraveled by the brightest living thinkers.
Astronomy
See more AstronomyA Dazzling Image of a Dying Star, Featuring the Great Recycling System of the Cosmos
Ashes to ashes, stardust to stardust
Extreme Space Weather Could Delay Your Next Flight
Researchers say surges in solar activity can wreak havoc on aircraft
In Stunning Color, a Celestial “Treasure Chest” Full of Stars
A majestic cometary globule some 7,500 light-years away
History
See more HistoryWhen Stupid Was a Diagnosis
A dark history that is in danger of returning as support for people with disabilities withers
How Hannibal’s War Elephants Helped to Determine His Route Through the Alps
When you go into battle with nearly 40 gigantic pachyderms, you need to take the shortest path possible
The Rabies Vaccine Debuted Nearly 150 Years Ago Today
Pioneering microbiologist Louis Pasteur helped save the life of a dog-bitten boy
Psychology
See more PsychologyHow Our Perceptions of Aging Can Affect Our Social Lives
Is it as easy as “mind over matter?”
The Conditions on a US Aircraft Carrier Sound Concerning
Can science point the way toward designing environments to maximize mental health in such situations?
Extraordinary Experiences Are More Common Than You Think
How you make sense of the experience shapes its impact your well-being
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Environment
See more EnvironmentAn Ice Island as Big as Manhattan Just Broke Off Greenland
It’s a “remarkable” parting of the ways
How Our Attraction to Natural Fixes Can Stymie Climate Progress
Does a human-made problem need a natural solution?
Who Keeps Spreading the Seeds of This Parasitic Plant?
Cockroaches are just the half of it
Zoology
See more ZoologyHow the Narwhal Got Its Twisted Tusk
High-tech imaging reveals the structure of the unique spiral architecture
What Bird Song Can Tell Us About the Nature of Dreams
Clues to the evolution of sleep and dreaming may be hiding in avian reveries
Female Treefrogs Get Overwhelmed by Too Many Noisy Male Suitors
Take it easy on the croaking, boys
Philosophy
See more PhilosophyWhat 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 Inventor of the Thinking Machine Didn’t Worry. Neither Should You
In this age of AI anxiety, listen to your heart
How Paying Attention to Pain Could Help You Heal Faster
Close attention might be part of your immune system
Read more
See all postsEverything You Believe About Taking a Full Course of Antibiotics and Bacterial Resistance Is Wrong
But obviously talk to your doctor
These Mammoth Ivory Carvings May Be the “Find of the Year”
They’re 40,000 years old and about the size of your thumbnail
Our Ancient Ancestors in the Middle East Loved Dining on Lizards and Snakes
Reptiles made up a big portion of their diet
Massive Prehistoric Crocodylians Took a Brutal Approach to Hunting
You wouldn’t want to see these eyes peering out of the swamp
Is This the World’s Oldest Image of a Mind‑altering Plant?
A painted panel deep in a Spanish cave may push the human relationship with mind-altering plants back thousands of years, earlier than anything previously known
The Real “Mummy’s Curse” Lurks Online
A booming market for mummified remains poses health risks
Where Human Sleep Went Wrong
A conversation with David Samson, evolutionary anthropologist and author of The Sleepless Ape, about how to sleep
