The Weekly Planet: A New Idea for Fighting Climate Change: Retirement Plans!
If you’re retiring in the 2060s, you should make sure you can enjoy the 2060s.
The Second COVID-19 Shot Is a Rude Reawakening for Immune Cells
Side effects are just a sign that protection is kicking in as it should.
The Brazil Variant Is Exposing the World’s Vulnerability
Somehow the coronavirus is rampaging through a city that was supposedly immune.
Inevitable Planetary Doom Has Been Exaggerated
Hope for the future is a reasonable and necessary prerequisite for action.
The Same Deadly Vitamin Deficiency Is Ravaging All Kinds of Animals
Thiamine, a nutrient no organism can live without, is mysteriously lacking in some marine ecosystems.
Where Are All the Tiny Black Holes?
The discovery of a celestial “unicorn” that’s just a slim 2.9 solar masses may help unravel a mystery that has long puzzled astronomers.
A Group of Orca Outcasts Is Now Dominating an Entire Sea
Killer whales that feast on seals and hunt in small packs are thriving while their widely beloved siblings are dying out.
The Simple Task That Mars Made Impossible
NASA spent nearly two years trying to wrangle a probe designed to burrow into the planet’s soil.
How Useful Is Recycling, Really?
Among all possible climate actions, recycling ranks pretty low in its impact.
The Dogs Trained to Sniff Out COVID-19
Images from around the world, showing canine COVID-19–detection programs under development
The Victims Left Behind by Genetic Genealogy
An Atlantic analysis of more than 100 cases using this powerful new policing tool found only four involving a homicide with a Black victim.
The Weekly Planet: Why Biden Is Buying 645,000 New Cars
The president’s most interesting climate proposal yet hasn’t appeared in an executive order.
What Happens to the Space Force Now?
President Biden is inheriting one of Trump’s pet projects.
The Pandemic Is Finally Softening. Will That Last?
With vaccination racing the spread of COVID-19 variants, America could be at a tipping point.
The Bird That Builds Nests Right By Its Worst Enemy
“You can understand the predator wanting to be near the prey, but not really the other way around.”
The Weekly Planet: How to Think About President Biden’s Big Climate Plans
Democrats have learned not to peg their hopes to a single major climate bill.
A Troubling New Pattern Among the Coronavirus Variants
The most concerning versions of the virus are not simply mutating—they’re mutating in similar ways.
The Corpse Flower Is Not in the Mood
Saving the world’s stinkiest plant would be easier if it had any interest in reproducing.
The Coronavirus Is Evolving Before Our Eyes
The virus is mutating as expected. We can still stop it.
The Weekly Planet: What 2020’s Bizarre Economy Taught Us About Climate Change
U.S. carbon pollution hasn’t been this low in decades—that’s the bad news.
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