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What Language Reveals About Us
Julie Sedivy on the 3 greatest revelations she had while writing her new book Linguaphile.
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“This Is a Great Day with Me”
Alexander Graham Bell reflects on the very first telephone call in a letter to his father.
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The Anatomical Quirk That Saved Dr. No
A wild tale of how scientists unraveled embryology’s most fascinating mystery.
The Porthole
Short sharp looks at science
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The Most Detailed Brain Map Ever
Scientists have created a magnificent portrait of every connection among neurons in a fruit fly’s brain.
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Can Ecstasy Save a Marriage?
A new wave of experimental therapy is enlisting MDMA in relationship counseling.
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Feeling Gravity’s Pull
Two theoretical physicists have a lively conversation about how abstract concepts can feel down-to-Earth.
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Your Cells Are Dying. All The Time.
Some go gently into the night. Others die in freak accidents or deadly invasions, or after a showy display.
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The Origin of the Asteroid That Killed the Dinosaurs
The story of the doom-bringing rock may help us prevent a repeat catastrophe.
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Excavating a Language at the End of the World
How an old dictionary is revealing new perspectives on an Indigenous culture.
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How We Solved the Hole in the Ozone
A scientist’s first-hand account shows the world can tackle a global environmental crisis.
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The Strange Romance of Seahorses
A marine biologist and photographer gets up close and personal with mysterious pygmy seahorses.
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The Soviet Rebel of Music
He composed on a computer in a dangerous time. His echo is still heard today.
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How Whales Could Help Us Speak to Aliens
Learning to decode complex communication on Earth may give us a leg up if intelligent life from space makes contact.
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How Reality Shapes Our Language—and Vice Versa
A conversation with UCLA philosophy professor Josh Armstrong. -
Light Pollution Is Making Fish Anxious
The next generation is still feeling the effects. -
A Crystal Forest
A scientist’s failed experiment yields a contest-winning photo. -
When Earth Had Rings
A new way of thinking about the history of the Earth. -
Flowers and the Birth of Ecology
Without flowers, there would be no us. -
The Bird Photo of the Year
This award-winning shot offers a candid look at the cagey turkey vulture. -
The March of the Mushroom Robots
Scientists are making mycelia-machine hybrids that can crawl and roll. -
Will Plants Grow on the Moon?
Three Earth plants will soon make a new home on the lunar surface. -
This Tiny Frog Is Fierce
The see-through amphibian goes big to protect its eggs. -
Is Discovery Inevitable or Serendipitous?
The role of chance and predictability in scientific breakthroughs. -
Our Magnificent Ocean
Richard Powers on his 3 greatest revelations while writing his latest novel, Playground. -
Frozen Reefs
Can cryogenically freezing coral stop time long enough to save them? -
The Mystery of the Cosmic Radio Globs
What violent galaxy smashups may have wrought across the universe. -
Puberty Hasn’t Changed Since the Ice Age
The blueprint was set at least 25,000 years ago. -
When Do Kids Start Playing Pretend?
It’s complicated. -
7 Famous Fossil Hoaxes
How scientists over history excavated the fakes. -
How History Did the Dodo Wrong
Who are you calling inept and unfit? -
An Artist on Why AI Isn’t the End of Art
A conversation with Issue 56 cover artist Chris Buzelli. -
The Stealthy Assassin Robberfly
Don’t underestimate this slender predator from the British grasslands. -
Falling Down a Rabbit Hole in Real Life
Neurologists are just beginning to understand Alice in Wonderland syndrome.
