Science

Surprise! Snakes Have Clitorises

A new discovery could rewrite the story of reptilian sex.

NASA’s Plan to Bounce People Off the Atmosphere

An uncrewed capsule has circled the moon and made a historic plunge on its way home.

Some Indigenous People Crushed Up Dead Clams. Maybe We Should Too?

Clamshells could help make the ocean less acidic—a problem that is affecting clams themselves.

‘Biological Strip Malls’ Have Taken Over the Planet

Human activity is making ecosystems around the world look the same.

Seeing Earth From Space Will Change You

The question is how.

Only English Would Try to Shorten a Word This Way

There’s something very unusual about the shortened form of usual.

COVID Science Is Moving Backwards

We’ve let the data slip away.

Cocaine Bear: Why?

Of course you want to watch a movie about a bear on drugs.

The Year Without Germs Changed Kids

Children who spent their formative years in the bleach-everything era will certainly have different microbiomes. The question is whether different means bad.

The Transcendent Brain

Humans are evolutionarily drawn to beauty. How do such complex experiences emerge from a collection of atoms and molecules?

The ‘Mother of the Year’ Who Starved for 53 Months

In 2014, an octopus made headlines for starving herself while protecting her eggs. Why does she remind me of my mom?

Underground Cables Are Taking the Planet’s Pulse

Geologists are using fiber optics to monitor earthquakes, volcanoes, and traffic noise.

Fur Seals Made a Tremendous Comeback. That Might Be a Problem.

The once-endangered species is now wreaking havoc on coastal vegetation, putting Antarctica at risk.

The Most Overhyped Space Movie

2001: A Space Odyssey is prescient, beautiful, and entirely unsatisfactory.

Dolphins Might Have Elite Spice Tolerance

Chili-pepper-laced fishing nets can’t keep the marine predators away.

The World Could Be Entering a New Era of Climate War

Runaway climate change once seemed like it could spur violence. Now a different risk has emerged.

Thanksgiving’s Most Underrated Food

All hail the sweet potato.

An Evolutionary Magic Trick Is Popping Up Everywhere

‘Supergenes’ bend the rules of evolution.

How Much Would You Pay to Save Your Cat’s Life?

For $15,000, you can get your pet a new kidney.

The Galápagos’s Secret Weapon Against Climate Change

An oceanic cold spot breathes life into the archipelago. How long can it last?