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Is It Cake? How Our Brain Deciphers Materials
Neuroscientists are discovering how this basic ability, essential to our survival, works
The Porthole
Short sharp looks at science
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Longevity Might Be All In Your Head
The biological age of your organs could predict your health—and death
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What Deep Time Can Tell Us About Coral Reefs
Lisa Gardiner on the 3 greatest revelations she had while writing Reefs of Time
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Hope Catches a Tailwind
Dona Bertarelli brings her intimate knowledge of the high seas to advocate for conserving ocean ecosystems
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Our Boiling Seas
Scientists are getting better at predicting marine heatwaves. But is it enough to save ecosystems and vulnerable species?
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“There Were Periods When I Felt He Ruined My Life”
Amanda Gefter talks about the exhausting and thrilling decade she spent writing about lost genius Peter Putnam
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How To Tell If You’re Dead
The line between life and death has never been clear—and modern technology blurs it further
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Evolution and Guinea Pig Toes
How one animal’s oddity inspired Sewall Wright to take on one of Darwin’s big ideas
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Stranger Things in the Universe
New data about dark energy is a reminder that cosmology is a never-ending story
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Neutron Stars Hint at Another Dimension
Are the mysterious stars clues to one of the greatest mysteries in the universe?
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The Extraordinary, Imperiled Science at the End of the Earth
Firing experts in Antarctica couldn’t come at a worse time
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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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AI Already Knows Us Too Well
Chatbots profile our personalities, which could give them the keys to drive our thoughts—and actions
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What We Misunderstand About Robots
Sci-fi master Adrian Tchaikovsky on evolution, other minds, and the politics of science
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I Bought a Robot Cat for My Rabbit
A TikTok experiment led me into a strange world of cyborg cockroaches, imposter fish, and the ethics of care
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The Sean Carrolls Explain the Universe
Why are we here? Is there life on other planets? The renowned scientists who share a name share their answers to life’s big questions.
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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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Art and Science in a Grain of Sand
Filmmaker Mark Levinson on the kinship between disciplines -
A Hymn Lost for a Millennium
AI helped piece together clay fragments to tell a new story of Babylon -
Monumental Burial Mounds Rewrite Ancient History
The colossal structures, built by hunter-gatherers, are way older than archaeologists had thought possible -
Lefties Aren’t as Creative as We Thought
In fact, righties may have the edge, contrary to popular belief -
Leap of Faith
Lemur mothers are bold mountaineers when hunting for food -
Cheese Might Haunt Our Dreams
Centuries-old wisdom may ring true on food-fueled nightmares -
Gaming Cancer
How community science games could help cure disease -
Saltier, Hotter Sea Springs a Leak in Ice Sheets
A surprising reversal at sea brings a big change -
These Bees Are Tricksters
How nomad bee species rely on deceit to provide for their offspring -
Laughing Apes Take Risks
Hearing the sounds of chuckles may make our bonobo cousins think on the bright side -
Chasing Lost Languages
Author Laura Spinney on the 3 greatest revelations she had while writing Proto: How One Ancient Language Went Global -
The Ecosystem Dynamics That Can Make or Break an Invasion
By simulating ecological networks with microbes, researchers revealed properties that may make natural communities susceptible to invasion -
Ancient Seas Hosted the Ultimate Squid Game
100 million years ago, the charismatic cephalopods ruled Earth’s oceans -
Your Mind Is Part of the Ecosystem
Recognizing the link between mental and ecological health can change how we relate to the world and ourselves -
We Didn’t Start the Fire
But our ancient ancestors set the world ablaze 50,000 years ago -
Rethinking the Big Bang
The largest map of the universe reveals giants at the birth of the universe -
The Weird Cooling Effect of Wildfires
Smoke and dust from fires could block the sun, but that’s not necessarily a good thing -
An Elephant’s Tusk Never Forgets
A simple test can peek into ivory to detect deception -
The Science of Tripping Comes to Town
The many challenges of studying psychedelics -
Scratch My Back and I’ll Scratch Yours
Orcas in Washington are creating grooming tools out of kelp stalks
