Pre-Roman Necropolis Reveals Secrets of Iron Age Mediterranean Diets
Spoiler alert: The men ate more meat
Omniscient Tree Networks and Immortal Amoebas: 9 Books We’re Excited to Read This August
The Nautilus monthly reading list
The Humble Amoeba Is Smarter Than You Think
A conversation with Nicholas Money, mycologist and author of A is for Amoeba
Why We Stopped Burying Our Dead at Home
Home burials declined throughout antiquity
When Stupid Was a Diagnosis
A dark history that is in danger of returning as support for people with disabilities withers
Latest Stories
An Abandoned SpaceX Rocket Is About to Crash Into the Moon. The Real Problem Comes Next
As the moon starts getting crowded, questions of safety and responsibility are becoming hard to ignore
Where Was Your Backyard 145 Million Years Ago?
Your patch of turf might have traveled farther than you think
Mysterious Human Relative Was Bigger Than Previously Thought
Paranthropus boisei footprints offer clues to their size and social dynamics
Read Stories from Our Newest Print Issue: Precarious
See moreThe Cephalopods Are Coming
Fossil records reveal Earth’s mass extinctions are followed by a rise of ocean cephalopods. They’re rising again.
Schrödinger’s Kittens Are All Grown Up
Offspring of the most famous thought experiment in physics are now testing the very fabric of the universe
The Most Precarious Day in the Universe
On the same day the world descended into war, physicists saw reality itself unraveling
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Cutting-edge science, unraveled by the brightest living thinkers.
Astronomy
See more Astronomy
How Mariner 4 Rewrote What We Know About Mars
It killed the dreams of science-fiction fans, but kick-started decades of Martian exploration
When Galaxies Clash
Is a new image of star systems colliding a vision of our Milky Way’s future?
History
See more HistoryHow 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
This Was a Big Week for Marie Curie, More Than 120 Years Ago
Despite steep odds, she became the first woman in France to earn a doctorate in science
Psychology
See more PsychologyWhy Do Psychiatric Disorders Persist in Humans?
Genetics suggest they may be linked to certain forms of intelligence
Monkeys Interpret Shapes Similarly to Humans
The continuum of geometric intuition from people to other primates
What Became of the Chimps Who Revolutionized Our Understanding of Animal Behavior?
It’s a harrowing tale of deadly winters in Berlin captivity
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Environment
See more EnvironmentIt Was a Record-Breaking Year for Dust Storms
The worst since the Dust Bowl in some places
A “Dead” Coral Reef Found Thriving Off the Coast of Africa
Scientists in the 1960s thought the ecosystem was lifeless
What Satellite Photos of Penguin Poop Tell Us About Earth’s Health
Climate change is painting with an Adélie penguin palette on Antarctic ice floes
Zoology
See more ZoologyKoalas Are Getting a Vaccine to Help With Their STD Problem
It’s a key step in saving them from extinction
Jimothy the Raccoon Survived Against the Odds, a Testament to Sophisticated Brains and Devoted Mothers
Surviving in the wild is no small feat for animals, especially ones like Jimothy, with rare conditions and yet he persevered to viral celebration, thanks to an adaptable brain and a caring mother
How Do Sperm Whales Keep Their Massive, Wax-Filled Heads Beneath the Waves as They Sleep?
The ocean giants deploy tiny solutions to counteract their own buoyancy
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
Frequent Cannabis Use Linked to Higher Morning Stress Hormone Levels
Your destressers could actually be stressing you out
Read more
See all postsWhy an Icy Hummingbird Has Emerged in Antarctica
Experts can now get a better look under the surface of vast glaciers
Psychedelics Might Not Have Evolved to Get Humans High
Hallucination may have more to do with our shared brain chemistry with snails, insects, and sea urchins
How an Inbred Snake Invader Took Over an Island Paradise
Hidden genetic diversity may have given it an advantage
Does This Photo from the Curiosity Rover Prove an Intense Sandstorm on Mars?
Sand ripples preserved for billions of years
A Forgotten Literary Window Into the Personal Life of Alan Turing
The previously unpublished short story reveals the playful and erotic side of the father of modern computing
Mole Rat Queens Stink Their Way to Power
The volatile compound they emit induces temporary infertility in other females
Does Watching TV Really Rot Your Brain?
Generations of parents have a new piece of scientific evidence to combat couchpotatoism
Why Do We Tell Ourselves Scary Stories About AI?
Our tales of AI developing the will to survive, commandeer resources, and manipulate people say more about us than they do about language models.
