Could Neanderthals Speak Like Us?
They had the right genes for it
Plants Can Hear the Sound of Falling Rain
It helps their seeds sprout
(Almost) A Eulogy for Voyager
The robotic space probe is 15 billion miles away and is nearing the end of its life in the distant cosmos
The Australian Rocks That House the Oldest Life-Forms on Earth
Never underestimate the power of an old pile of rocks
The New Pitviper Species Hidden in China’s Panda Park
It’s named for a Chinese philosopher
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Cutting-edge science, unraveled by the brightest living thinkers.
Astronomy
See more AstronomyThe Peace That an Eclipse Brings
The total solar eclipse in 2024 hushed the Earth by striking awe in the humans in its path
Mars Curiosity Rover Makes a Big Find on the Red Planet
The little robotic chemist that could
History
See more HistoryRome Was Built Today
Celebrating the scientific and technical contributions of Rome on the mythical birthday of the eternal city
The Birth of Genius
Leonardo da Vinci, polymath and victim of the vagaries of science funding, was born on this day
The Bra-and-Girdle Maker That Fashioned the Impossible for NASA
Crafting a spacesuit demanded perfection from seamstresses to gluers to engineers — every stitch could mean life or death
Psychology
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Environment
See more EnvironmentEarth Day Started with an Oil Spill
The day of environmental action and protest has grown and evolved over the past 56 years
Cocaine Fish: How Salmon Behave When Amped Up on Coke
The effects of cocaine pollution in the world’s waterways
The Centuries-Old History of the Super El Niño
We may get an exceptionally strong El Niño this year, but we’ve been tracking the climatic cycle since 1578
Zoology
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Philosophy
See more PhilosophyThe Bad Seed and the Problem of Blame
A conversation with behavioral geneticist Kathryn Paige Harden about the heritability of vice
A Light in the Dark: Finding the Good in the Natural World
Is it absurd to think that science can inform our values?
How ‘Tiny Shortcuts’ Are Poisoning Science
Seemingly harmless data tweaks are undermining the integrity of the entire field. We must define the problem to prevent it
The Nautilus Reading List of Science Biographies
These beautifully composed books usher you into the life and times of influential scientists
Read more
See all postsThe Mystery of the Giant Blobs at the Center of the Earth
Are they remnants of primordial Earth or extraterrestrial in origin?
Mushrooms Stole a Trick From Bacteria. It Could Help Us Control the Weather
Can purloined genes make it rain?
Arachnophobes Beware: Tarantulas Are Way Smarter Than You Think
They’re particularly good at remembering where their prey is hiding
An Ancient Mummy’s Tooth Could Rewrite Script of Scarlet Fever in the New World
European colonists are off the hook for this one
Humans Evolving, One Way or Another
Have we moved beyond the reach of natural selection? If so, it’s likely a relatively recent development.
The New Science of the Near-Death Experience
For the first time, scientists are studying these mysterious states in real time
Check Out the Largest 3-D Map of the Universe
It spans over 11 billion years of cosmic history
Oldest Reptile Mummy Sheds Light on the Ancient Art of Breathing
Its rib breathing set the stage for further evolution of land animals
