Just Like That, We’re Making Oxygen on Mars
A small experiment on a NASA rover is tinkering with the alien atmosphere.
Should We Be Searching for Smart Aliens or Dumb Aliens?
There are two ways to look for extraterrestrial life. We’ve been focusing on only one.
Starting a Revolution Isn’t Enough
CRISPR is changing the world—but it can do more.
One of Long COVID’s Worst Symptoms Is Also Its Most Misunderstood
Brain fog isn’t like a hangover or depression. It’s a disorder of executive function that makes basic cognitive tasks absurdly hard.
Life Is an Accident of Space and Time
Even if life existed on every planet that could support it, living matter in the universe would amount to only a few grains of sand in the Gobi Desert.
Purring Is a Love Language No Human Can Speak
Some cats do it, but others can’t—and researchers still don’t fully understand why.
It Wasn’t Just Oil Companies Spreading Climate Denial
The electricity industry knew about the dangers of climate change 40 years ago. It denied them anyway.
The Strongest Signal That Americans Should Worry About Flu This Winter
An unnerving flu season in the Southern Hemisphere bodes poorly for those in the north.
The Moon Will Have to Wait
After two failed launch attempts, NASA’s new rocket faces weeks of repairs.
America Has a Rabid-Raccoon Problem
For decades, the government has been carrying out an ambitious plan to mass vaccinate the wild animals by airplane.
The Saguaro Cactus Was Never Meant to Burn
Annual wildfires pose an existential threat to a beloved Sonoran plant.
Turns Out, It’s Really Hard to Scare a Seal
Pinnipeds are gorging on imperiled marine life in Washington. To keep them away, conservationists have had to get creative.
‘The Biggest Thing to Happen in International Climate Diplomacy in Decades’
The Inflation Reduction Act could change the world in at least five ways.
Why Is NASA’s Hold Music So Catchy?
It’s the inadvertent soundtrack to America’s space program. It’s also an earworm.
You’ve Probably Seen Yourself in Your Memories
Remembering your life in the third person is a little creepy and surprisingly common.
America Is Trying to Make the Moon Happen Again
NASA is ready to give an ambitious lunar program its first real test.
No One Knows What’s Inside the Smallpox Vaccine
The key ingredient in our oldest vaccine is a mystery that goes back 200 years.
America’s Fall Booster Plan Has a Fatal Paradox
New boosters that target Omicron may be our most important COVID vaccines since 2020—but the U.S. may be setting up the new shots to fail.
A New Test for an Old Theory About Dreams
When a sleeping animal’s eyes twitch beneath its eyelids, is it looking around a dream world?
A Risky Monkeypox Vaccine Is Looking Better All the Time
The administration’s newest vaccine Hail Mary may not be enough to fix the U.S.’s monkeypox immunization problems.
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