The Scientific Literature Can’t Save You Now
You can cite peer-reviewed research in support of almost any claim, no matter how absurd.
Life Up Close
Detective Fiction Has Nothing on This Victorian-Science Murder Mystery
William Saville-Kent was a pioneering coral photographer. Was he also hiding a grisly secret?
Trump Could Start a New Pipeline Fight
A tax credit for carbon capture has fans in the oil industry.
Want to Change Your Personality? Have a Baby.
I knew that becoming a parent would change me—but I had no idea how.
So About That Asteroid That Could Hit Earth ...
Even the smallest odds of an impact sound alarming, but scientists’ ability to calculate them is actually good news.
Why the COVID Deniers Won
Lessons from the pandemic and its aftermath
A New Kind of Crisis for American Universities
The ivory tower has been breached.
Sun and Wood Can Be a Powerful Combination
In the right place, at the right time
The Chaos in Higher Ed Is Only Getting Started
Grant reviews have been suspended at the NIH. This could be an omen.
The End of L.A.’s Magical Thinking
The fires around Los Angeles are getting under control. But, inevitably, another fire will start.
The Place Where I Grew Up Is Gone
And so is the man who made it magical
My Favorite Trails Are Destroyed
Many of L.A.’s signature places to get outdoors have been wiped out by the wildfires.
What Happens When a Plastic City Burns
Most modern couches are basically blocks of gasoline.
The Message in the Sky Over Los Angeles
What it means to go from smog to smoke
The Unfightable Fire
The many fires burning around Los Angeles are pressing the limits of firefighting.
‘I’ve Never Seen Anything Like This’
The Palisades Fire is destroying places that I’ve loved.
The Palisades Were Waiting to Burn
Fire becomes a year-round danger when Southern California is this dry.
Eat Less Beef. Eat More Ostrich?
Ostrich is touted as a more sustainable red meat that tastes just like beef.
Political Whiplash in the American Southwest
A national monument gets squeezed and stretched and squeezed again.
Climate Models Can’t Explain What’s Happening to Earth
Global warming is moving faster than the best models can keep a handle on.
77 Facts That Blew Our Minds in 2024
Chewing gum, space capsules, and minivans are just a few of the things we see differently after a year of reporting.
The Most Distant Known Galaxy
Day 25 of the 2024 Space Telescope Advent Calendar