Astronomers Are Now Obsessed With a Particular Gas on Venus
If phosphine is lurking in the planet’s atmosphere, the source could, just maybe, be alien life.
How Science Beat the Virus
And what it lost in the process
Survival of the Luckiest
Natural selection isn’t the only way species evolve.
The Weekly Planet: What Extremely Muscular Horses Teach Us About Climate Change
You can’t understand the history of American energy use without them. A new visual history puts them in context.
Life as We Know It Hinges on One Very Small Decimal
Give it up for 1/137.
The Voyagers Found a Small Surprise in Interstellar Space
The spacecraft are still feeling the sun billions of miles from home.
Pandemic Data Are Stalling Out
Thanksgiving has skewed reporting of COVID-19 cases and deaths, but one metric is still clear: Hospitalizations keep rising.
Galaxy Brain Is Real
Looking at the long views from the Hubble space telescope might be good for you.
The Weekly Planet: The Best Way to Donate to Fight Climate Change (Probably)
These are the most effective carbon offsets and climate-advocacy groups, according to a new evidence-based group.
Tires Are a Hidden Environmental Nuisance
The pollution that cars emit goes beyond what spews from their tailpipe.
Where Will the Next Big Flood Hit?
An army of volunteers is helping forecasters predict disasters before they strike.
Pandemic Data Are About to Go Sideways
States are likely to report fewer coronavirus cases, but not because things are getting better.
A Tragic Beginning to the Holiday Season
COVID-19 hospitalizations have been at a record high for more than two weeks, and daily deaths have exceeded 2,000 for the first time since May.
The Weekly Planet: A Start-Up’s Unusual Plan to Suck Carbon Out of the Sky
An online-payments company may fund more carbon removal than anyone else.
Your Life Story Is Growing on Your Head
What archaeologists are learning from the hair of dead people
A Plan to Save Wildlife May Have Done More Harm Than Good
Banning the trade of vulnerable species sometimes makes them more vulnerable.
The Final Pandemic Surge Is Crashing Over America
For the first time, the U.S. recorded 1 million COVID-19 cases in one week.
The Tragedy of a Ruined Telescope
One of the world’s most beloved observatories is being demolished before its time.
How Many Americans Are About to Die?
A new analysis shows that the country is on track to pass spring’s grimmest record.
The End of the Pandemic Is Now in Sight
A year of scientific uncertainty is over. Two vaccines look like they will work, and more should follow.