Extraordinary Experiences Are More Common Than You Think
How you make sense of the experience shapes its impact your well-being
Is Cannabis Good for Your Heart?
You might be surprised. (Scientists were.)
The Soviets Drilled the Deepest Hole Ever
What on Earth for?
Is It Better to Have a Lot of Casual Friends or a Few Close Ones?
Friendships are integral to human health and well being, yet researchers know very little about how people make friends. A new study investigated what people prioritize for new friendships.
An Astrobiologist’s Guide to the Best Sci-Fi Reads
Cosmic lesbian necromancers, cyberpunk Canterbury Tales, and so much more
Latest Stories
Loner Kids May Be Happier Than You Think
A new study is offering insights into a crucial period of child development
There’s No Link Between Crime and Unauthorized Immigration
A massive new first-of-its-kind study zooms into the neighborhood level
Read Stories from Our Newest Print Issue: The Stupid Issue
See moreAI Made Me Look Foolish. Then I Learned
Ancient alchemy has a lot to teach us about chatbots
The Virtue of Being Simple
A surprising number of creatures don’t benefit from greater intelligence
Why We Think We Know More Than We Do
Breaking down the famous “Dunning-Kruger effect” with David Dunning himself
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Cutting-edge science, unraveled by the brightest living thinkers.
Astronomy
See more AstronomyThis Lion-Like Nebula Has Cosmic Dust for a Mane and a Dying Star for a Face
A portrait taken over 5,000 light-years
Why the Perseids Are the Most Famous Meteor Shower
The past, present, and future of this brilliant display
Here’s the Crater SpaceX’s Rocket Left on the Moon
The crater could measure 100 feet in diameter
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 Much Do We Really Want to Know About UFOs?
What disaster psychology research, a few Cold War UFO files, and a Spielberg movie say about how we might handle first contact
Better Posture Linked to Better Decision Making and Mood
Sitting upright can influence your mind
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Environment
See more EnvironmentHow 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
Researchers Return to a Forgotten Forest Experiment 30 Years Later—With “Astounding” Results
A new look at the trees revealed an overlooked “win-win-win” scenario for forest maintenance
Zoology
See more ZoologyInside the Not-So-Dumb Head of the Dodo Bird
Cranial scans reveal a brain with clever sensory adaptations
What Happens When You Put an AI-Powered Banana Casino in a Monkey Reserve?
AI really is everywhere these days
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
“We Wanted to Create An Experience of Microscopic Awe”: A Radical New View of Sacred Plants
Fluorescent visions of the guts of living sacred plants from all over the Americas
Read more
See all postsWhy Doctors Telling Patients Their Symptoms Are “Normal” Can Backfire
It can discourage patients from pursuing treatment
Turtle Sex Determination Just Got a Lot Weirder
Tiny antenna-like cell appendages play an outsized role
30 Minutes, 3 Exercises: A Routine for an Aging Brain
And you thought you were done with the three Rs
When Dreaming Gets Your Heart Moving
Deep dreaming may be more in tune with the body than we thought
This Supernova Death of a Star Broke All the Rules
An unexpected way to go for a star 20 times the size of our sun
Taxi Drivers Rarely Die of Alzheimer’s—How Complex Mental Maps and Spatial Reasoning Protect Your Brain
Working with and living in spatially complex environments may help delay cognitive decline, though more research is needed
New Observatory Captures More Than Half a Million Galaxies in a Single Image
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory is off to a fantastic start
This Paradoxical Desert Landscape Is Filled with Fresh Water
Dunes and lakes as far as the eye can see
